They All Missed The Teashop
by unwriteranonymous
Summary: Zuko hasn't found his purpose in life, although he doesn't put it to himself that way, and he feels like there's something missing. An AU that hinges on one (rather small) event happening differently: Katara was a little less thirsty.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Well, here is a story that took a long time to write. It's all finished now, so you can expect reasonable update speed. The chapters are kind of short, and the story overall isn't too long, but oh well. I hope you enjoy, and if you do, feel free to favorite, follow and review._

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Makoto looked appraisingly at the bounty hunter, trying to see if he was right for the job. At an outwards glance, the man seemed to fit, and his reputation said that he finished nine out of ten jobs successfully, but Makoto still wasn't sure. The job he was about to entrust to this man was extremely important, and it would not do to have him mess it up.

The bounty hunter was of medium height, with short black hair and a permanent scowl. He was wearing a black mask that concealed the top part of his face, not all that unusual considering his profession, and he was dressed all in black. A sword hung in its sheath on his hip.

"I'm willing to pay you three hundred gold pieces for this," he told the bounty hunter. "This is a very important mission, and the safety of the fire nation hinges on this. I know that you are a fire nation citizen, though you may pretend to be from around here, and I hope you understand how many people you could save by accepting."

"Get to the point," the bounty hunter said, his voice raspy and deep. "What do you want me to do?"

These were the first words the bounty hunter had said since the beginning of their meeting, and Makoto thought that his voice suited him. To say the truth, the bounty hunter had been making him slightly uncomfortable. It's not easy to talk to a man in a mask and receive no reply whatsoever; even as you know that he is listening to you.

Makoto smiled. "Ah, but see, that's the point. The job is highly secret, and I can't tell you about it until you choose to accept it."

Makoto wasn't sure, but the bounty hunter seemed to glare at him. The corners of his mouth lowered into a frown even deeper than the one he'd had before. Makoto sighed.

"Fine, but you'll understand if I have to leave out some of the details. The Earth kingdom has sent a spy to the Fire Nation royal court. We have managed to narrow the identity of the spy to five people, but so far, we don't know which one of the five it is. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the royal court, discover who the spy is, and eliminate him. If you accept the mission I'll give you more of the specifics."

"I don't generally accept assassination missions," the bounty hunter mused, "but you say this is crucial to the fire nation security…"

Suddenly and without warning, the bounty hunter turned around and started walking away, saying "I need time to think about it. Meet me tomorrow, same place, same time." Soon he was lost in the crowd.

Makoto almost gnashed his teeth in fury. That disrespectful son of a bitch… how dare he leave like that? Didn't he know who he was talking to?

The answer was simple: yes, he did, but he also knew who he was. The bounty hunter was good and he knew it. He knew Makoto couldn't afford to leave just because of a rude gesture on his part, and he was right, too: Makoto would be back on the same spot tomorrow at the same time, whether he wanted to or not.

It wasn't as if there were no other good bounty hunters, but most of them weren't in the area, and anyway, they specialized in different types of missions. One was very good at tracking people down but didn't usually take capture or assassination missions, one only did assassination missions but, while being really good at them, the collateral damage was incredible. There were only one or two people of the required level who could spy on targets, provide the necessary information and eliminate them quietly, without collateral damage, and most of them would never dream of doing a mission that would further the fire nation's goals. This left only one option: the bounty hunter who Makoto had talked to, and judging from his behavior, he knew it too.

As an agent of Fire Nation Security and Intelligence, part of the contra-intelligence branch, Makoto couldn't hire someone based on positive rumors. He had done a thorough background check on the bounty hunter, and had come up with the following results: the man's name was Lee, he had only ever failed one mission (due to circumstances beyond his control, it would seem), he would always finish a job and he seemed to have joined the bounty hunter business about a year ago, but had already made himself a name as one of the best. It was hard to tell what Lee did before becoming a bounty hunter. There were no records of a man named Lee anywhere; the best Makoto could do was find out that Lee had apparently used a ferry once. Aside from that, the man was a fire nation citizen, and he seemed to be loyal to his country: he was known to have refused missions from Earth Kingdom intelligence, as well as from the guerilla fighting group that called itself the ASW.

Makoto sighed and began making his way from the crowded city square back to his rented apartments. The Earth Kingdom city was rather small and seemed to be in a constant state of disrepair. There were construction workers everywhere, fixing the same piece of pavement for what he swore was the fifth time or building a new house on the already overbuilt street. Most of the workers were earthbenders, which he supposed made working a lot easier. This city, while not very impressive on the outside, had a darker side that mainly came out at night- it boasted the biggest black market of pretty much anywhere, as well as the most bounty hunters this side of the Hinati river. Makoto suspected that this was the only thing keeping the city alive: the bounty hunters earned their money (he didn't even want to know how most of them did that) and then spent it in the various stores and inns the city had to offer. It would also explain the large amount of pubs; Makoto had already seen three, and was passing a fourth when a man walked up to him and tapped him on the back, once and then twice. Makoto nodded, almost unnoticeably, and, without turning around, ducked into one of the pubs. He knew without looking that the man had followed him in.

He found himself a secluded table in the corner and sat down. After a few minutes, the man joined him at the table. He was wearing the same layered green-tan clothes that the Earth Kingdom citizens favored, and he had green eyes. Makoto didn't let that fool him. He knew that the man was also an agent of the FNSI, one working under his command, to be precise.

"Any news?" he asked, not bothering to lower his voice significantly.

The man nodded. "Our friend has intercepted another letter. He tells us he suspects that he is not the only one receiving them, and that it may be possible that some of the information in the letters is the same, so for now he has to pass the information on unchanged."

Makoto sighed. "That's not good news. Has he gotten anything important so far?"

"There are some bits that could tip the scales in their favor, but as long as we know they have them, we should be able to plan accordingly. That is, if the other letter don't hold anything more valuable."

"I suppose it doesn't matter. The person writing these letters should be eliminated within a month, at least if we can trust the person I'm getting to do this."

The man smiled. "Ah. So you have hired this… Lee?"

"Found him, yes. I offered him the job. He said he needs to think about it."

"So it's not certain?"

"I think it is. My sources tell me Lee is running out of money. I pay well, and couple that with whatever patriotism he has left, I think we have him."

"I hope you're right, sir. We need these leaks to stop, soon. Still, we suspect that the worst has already been done, about a year ago."

"Oh? What happened?"

The man did lower his voice now as he said: "You know how the Avatar attacked us on the day of the comet, though we were reasonably sure he would wait until later? Seeing as there was no way for him to know about the planned attack on the Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes?"

"New information has surfaced that makes us believe he had gotten information about the attack from someone, namely, from the ASW. And there is only one way the ASW could have gotten that information."

Makoto cursed under his breath. "So the only reason we didn't succeed to destroy the Earth Kingdom once and for all was because of this one spy? And even worse, the ASW have made contact with the Avatar a year ago?"

"We believe so."

"It's personal now, Sey. I lost my nephew in that attack."

"We've all lost someone, sir."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So I think that from now on, this is when I'll update: Sundays and Thursdays. Ugh, Pesah break is ending soon... back to school._

* * *

Teffe sipped his drink, cringing at the flavor. The people in this goddamn city couldn't even make baijiu right. You'd have thought there could be no bad flavor to a drink that strong, but the Eartheners managed. Teffe couldn't wait for his next mission that would take him out of this place.

He took another sip. Ugh. It didn't compare to the baijiu they made back home, in the water tribe. He supposed you got better at making liquors if it was cold all the time and you actually had a motivation.

He scanned the pub for signs of his friend, but to no avail. Lee was usually a little late, but this was pushing it. Where the hell was he?

"Hello," a voice said right next to his ear. A few months ago, Teffe would have jumped. Now, he simply smiled and said, "Hello to you too. Why can you never come in like a normal human being?"

Lee smiled, too, and took a seat on the other side of Teffe's table. He was wearing his mask again, Teffe noticed, which meant he had been looking for a job. It was about time, too. Lee had spent the last month lazing around, or 'thinking about my place in the universe', as he put it. While it was nice that Lee was always available for a talk (or a quick save from a pub brawn that escalated too quickly), Teffe really thought Lee ought to get off his ass and start doing something.

"You know me. It's more fun this way. Plus," he lowered his voice, "I have a feeling my soon-to-be contractor is spying after me."

"Oh?" Teffe said, absent-mindedly. A waitress approached their table. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'll have some rice wine," Lee said. "You might know it as sake."

"One glass of sake coming up," the waitress smiled, and Teffe could have sworn she winked at Lee before leaving. Lee got that from girls way too often, even with the mask on.

"Hey, Lee, why are you still wearing the mask? Is it because you're worried 'bout the scar? 'Cause no one here gives a shit. I mean, we're all in the business here. Look," he pointed at a large man sitting in the middle of the pub. The man had scars crisscrossing his bare hands and a huge cut in the middle of his face, right across the nose. Lee's scar was bad, but in here it wouldn't attract any attention.

"It's not that. I told you, I have a hunch someone's spying after me." Lee looked as if he was contemplating something. "Although you may be right about the mask. I have a feeling it would be redundant here."

"And why's that?"

"Because- and here I'm not sure, but I am getting more convinced by the second- that the person giving info on me is you."

Teffe burst into laughter, and after a moment Lee joined him as well. After a few seconds, when his mirth had quieted down, Teffe wiped his eyes and said: "Damn you, Lee. You're way too good at this. How'd you know?"

"You might want to work on your poker face. But the important question is this: how much did he pay you for it?"

"Ten gold pieces," Teffe admitted.

"And don't you think it would be fair for you to share some with me, seeing as I'm the only reason you earned them?"

Grumbling under his breath, Teffe counted out five coins and handed them to Lee. Lee took them with a satisfied expression and immediately used one of them to pay the waitress, who had arrived with his sake.

"I'll go get the change, sweetie," she said and left. Teffe started laughing again.

"You bastard. I'll bet you didn't even have any money on you when you ordered that, did you?"

Lee's smirk said it all. "I didn't have any money at all, actually. I'm afraid I gave my last coins to the nice woman who I rent my room from."

"You couldn't know all this would happen."

"No, but I was pretty sure. You're not a good liar, Teffe. I've known much, much better."

"Normally, I'd get back atcha and call you a pussy for ordering this drink instead of something a man might have, but I gotta tell you, this baijiu is crap."

"All baijiu is crap. I want my drink to taste good, not be one hundred percent alcohol."

"That's the only reason anything's worth drinking. So tell me, what's your new job?"

Lee tilted his head. "I'm not sure, actually. My would-be employer refused to tell me the specifics, but apparently it has something to do with rooting out a spy. The one problem is I need to go into Fire Nation territory for it, and I don't have the right documents."

"Rooting out a spy for the fire Nation… damn Lee, these guys better pay you good for it. Don't tell me you're thinking of working for these stinkin' world conquerors without enough pay."

"Three hundred gold pieces."

Teffe whistled. "Wow. Okay. You have my permission to work for the sons of bitches."

"Thank you. You have any advice about the documents?"

"I do, actually. I know a guy who's really good at this sort of stuff. Give him a name, a nationality and a sack of coins and you'll have your documents in a day. I'll take you to him right now."

Teffe started to get up, but Lee waved him down again. "I told you, I don't have any money right now. I hope the guy who's hiring me is willing to pay in advance, because I need those documents and I have no way of getting them otherwise. Tell you what, when you report back to him, would you tell him I need part in advance? I think he'd listen to you."

"Sure, no problem. That's what friends are for. And just so you know," Teffe's voice became serious for once, "I'd never tell that guy anything bad about you or anything that might cause you not to get the job. I only took it so I'd be sure no one complained about you."

Lee smirked. "And because you wanted the money."

"And because I wanted the money, obviously. Who do you take me for, some damn idealist?"

"I'd never dream of it," Lee said.


	3. Chapter 3

Strangely, Lee was there right on time. This was surprising, as Makoto had been pretty sure he'd take every opportunity to shove it in his face who was in control here.

"So?" he asked, not bothering to greet the bounty hunter.

"I've decided to accept." Makoto wasn't surprised. Three hundred gold pieces weren't just found lying around every day.

"I'm glad. Before you start, I have a few things to tell you."

Lee nodded, indicating that he was listening.

"You must be absolutely sure who the spy is before eliminating him. The five may not be well-known, but they are useful in their own way, and they are citizens of the Fire Nation. I will not have harm come to them. In fact, I'd rather you do nothing at all than kill an innocent."

Lee nodded again, but Makoto felt that he had to make the point absolutely clear.

"I'm serious. You kill the wrong guy and you better run far and hide well, because I'll find you and end you like the pathetic low-life that you are."

Threats like that worked well on the average bounty hunter; they'd usually smile and accept that Makoto wasn't playing around. Lee, however, seemed to take it less well. He scowled and clenched his fists, and Makoto swore he saw steam coming from them. He backtracked hastily, sensing that this was about to end badly.

"I just want to be sure you know there is to be no collateral damage. As one professional to the other, no offense, of course."

Lee seemed to relax slightly, though he was still scowling. "So. About the details."

"Right. Well, the five suspects are Shai, an artist, Keishon, an expert on agriculture, Naoki, a personal helper to general Takumi, Rin, an advisor to the military and Kyo, a noble. They all have reasons to be at court, and their backstories all check out. So far, Rin seems to be the most suspicious, but we could be completely wrong about him. Here, I'll give you their addresses…"

Lee listened carefully and wrote the addresses down in his notebook. Why did he even carry a notebook, Makoto wondered for a moment, before deciding to ignore it.

"Now about the gold. I'll give you the payment in three portions: one now, another once you've figured out who the spy is and a third once he's gone. The general plan is that you infiltrate the palace, perhaps as a servant or a distant relative of someone-"

"No." Lee interrupted. Makoto waited for an explanation, but got nothing. Lee's attitude was becoming annoying very quickly.

"Why?" he asked.

"I can't infiltrate the palace. I'm taking the mission, but I'm doing it my way. You don't need to know why."

"I'm your employer-" Makoto began, but was silenced by a look from Lee. This was really starting to grate on his nerves.

"I have some… very distinctive facial features," Lee deemed necessary to explain. Hah. Some horrible scar, more likely. "I won't exactly be able to blend in. I'll spy from the outside."

"Alright. Do it your way. Here," Makoto handed a messenger hawk over to Lee. "This bird knows how to find me. Use it if you need to send me a message. And here," he handed Lee a small pouch, "is your first payment. Leave for the mission today or tomorrow, what suits you best, but be quick about it. You have until the end of the month to complete your mission. If it takes you more than that, you can count the last hundred coins out of your pocket. If you fail completely, I'll send someone to find you and take my money back. Everything clear?"

Lee smirked. "Crystal. I'll contact you when I know who the spy is. Good day."

He turned around and started walking away again, not waiting for a reply. Just like last time, Makoto thought. At least he'd bothered to say goodbye.

Kuno the forger was very good at his job. He took some pride in that, and always said that whoever discovered his documents were fakes could as well slit his throat right there and then, because the shame would be too much to live with. He charged appropriately, and so was rather surprised when his friend Teffe entered, leading a guy named Lee in after him. Teffe never had any extra money, and in fact preferred to spend what he did have on booze or his little daughter, knocking the border patrol guards out instead of purchasing documents. He was even more surprised when Teffe said it was Lee who needed his services. Rumors were going around, and Kuno knew Lee's style of work was to earn a lot of money on one job, then do nothing until the money ran out. He was currently in the moneyless stage of his cycle and most employers refused to pay in advance, so what was he doing in Kuno's shop was anyone's guess.

"My services are expensive," he informed Lee without preamble. "At least forty gold, fifty if it's a difficult job."

"Don't worry about that," Lee said in a coarse voice. "I need a new identity as a fire nation citizen named Lee, eighteen years old. It has to be good enough to pass scrutiny, but it probably won't get checked by any professionals, just the average border patrol."

Kuno chuckled. "That's easy. Thirty gold is all it'll take. Though," he looked at Lee askance, "you'll understand if I ask for payment in advance."

Lee frowned. "Why is it that everyone thinks I'm broke?"

"Because you are, my friend." Teffe explained helpfully.

"I'm not!" Lee protested, taking thirty gold pieces out of his pocket and handing them over to a rather surprised Kuno.

"I'll bet now you are."

"I still have twenty more gold, just so you know. Makoto payed me part in advance. I thought he meant a third of the whole thing, but apparently it's just fifty. Still, it should be enough for ship tickets."

"Right. Well, Lee, come back tomorrow and you'll have your documents, no problem. If they don't hold up to careful scrutiny, you are free to come back here and get a full return of all your money."

"If they don't hold up to careful scrutiny, I'll be dead."

Kuno smirked. "I know."


	4. Chapter 4

Inato stood on board his ship, welcoming the passengers aboard himself as he usually did. He also took care to request money ahead from the more suspicious looking passengers. One of them he was talking to right now, a thin, greying man with a cart of cabbages behind him.

"I'm sorry, mister, but it's payment in advance."

"That woman didn't have to pay!" The cabbage guy pointed angrily at a traveler in an expensive-looking coat. Inato stifled a sigh. He didn't have the motivation to explain that the woman was wearing at least a pound of golden jewelry on her, and was clearly not the kind of passenger who might get off without paying. Even if she did, she couldn't run far, not in those stiletto boots of her.

He settled for saying: "Look, mister, I'm the captain here. I decide who has to pay in advance and who doesn't. It'll be eight golden pieces, please."

The cabbage guy looked terrified. "But how do I know you're not just going to throw me off the ship in the middle of the night, since I've payed already?"

"Why would I do that? It's not like we have to spare any more expenses on you. Passengers provide their own food."

"What? No one told me that! What will I do?"

"I don't know. Eat some of those cabbages."

The guy suddenly burst into tears. "I can't. They're like my children!" As if reaching a difficult decision, he added quietly: "I can't watch them being slaughtered like that. Will you buy them from me? It could double as payment for the tickets."

Inato looked doubtfully at the cabbages. They were worth five silver pieces, maximum, maybe ten if you added the cost of the cart. Still, he found himself wanting to agree, if only to get rid of the headache that was already starting to build behind his eyes. What the hell. Maybe other passengers hadn't understood the bit about 'bring your own food', and would be willing to pay double for the damn things.

"Alright. Leave the cart here, and get on board. Your cabin is number thirteen." The smallest and darkest cabin he had. You get what you pay for.

The cabbage guy almost fell to his knees in gratitude. "Thank you, sir. May the cabbages taste sweet on your tongue."

"Yeah, yeah. Move on, mister. Next!"

The person in line behind the cabbage guy turned out to be a young man with a messenger hawk on his shoulder, whose most distinctive feature was a huge red scar over his left eye. Poor guy, Inato thought. He'd still have to request payment in advance, though. The guy looked suspiciously like a bounty hunter, with his black clothes, lack of luggage and what Inato recognized as twin dao swords on his hip.

"I'll have the luxury cabin," the man said in a coarse voice. Strange. Bounty hunters usually went with the regular cabins, not wanting to spend too much money on something relatively unimportant.

"Sorry. Luxury cabin's taken." By the woman in the coat, obviously. "You can still have the second best cabin, though. It's not as big, but it's clean and nicely furnished."

After a moment's hesitation, the scarred man nodded.

"That'll be ten gold pieces, please." The man handed the money over without argument, in what was turning out to be a pleasantly refreshing way. There were too many bargainers as passengers today.

"Your cabin is number five. You don't look like you have any food packed, so you might want to be in the dining room at four o'candle. There'll be cabbage soup with fried cabbage."

Another nod, and the man disappeared into the ship. If only all customers could be as cooperative as that guy.

Zuko found cabin number five with ease. True to the captain's word, it wasn't very spacious, but it appeared relatively clean and the bed looked more comfortable than the usual hammocks. That is, if he managed not to fall out of it during the night. The cabin even had a perch for a messenger hawk. Zuko lowered his arm and let Hawky (he'd never admit to anyone he'd taken to calling the bird that) climb on.

"Sorry, bird. There won't be any food for you for the next two days, unless you happen to like cabbage."

Zuko himself wasn't planning to eat the cabbage, either. He hadn't taken any food with him because he was hard-pressed to find any decent food that would hold, and he absolutely refused to eat anything less than the best quality food. He would not lower himself to that level. It was also why he had tried to get the luxury cabin; he couldn't stand dirty surroundings. He would rather starve than eat spoiled food, and he would rather not sleep at all if it meant risking being bitten by ticks or fleas. Teffe had used to make fun of his cleanliness, calling him a pussy (as for most other things he did), but Zuko was not a dog-rat, and he would not scratch at himself like some common animal.

Speaking of ticks… Zuko took out his swords and prodded at the mattress, then sniffed at the covers. It seemed clean and didn't move, unlike some other mattresses he'd seen while traveling, but it still didn't mean there were no ticks or fleas anywhere. He took a small bottle with a green liquid out of his pocket and sprayed it first at the covers, then the pillow. It was guaranteed to kill all insects, but also sometimes had the side effect of leaving the user with a skin rash. Zuko didn't care. He could hardly afford the luxury to worry about his skin condition. A little rash could only draw attention away from the scar, nothing more.

He started unpacking. Not that there was that much to unpack, but he did want to put away his belongings. The swords went up over his bed, the pouch with the money into the pillowcase. Finally, he took out a blank scroll of parchment, a brush and a small ink bottle and placed them on the desk.

Zuko sat down on his chair that was bolted to the floor, no doubt in case of storms, and started chewing on the edge of his brush, thinking of how to start. He stopped when he noticed what he was doing, let out a breath and started writing:

 _Hello, uncle. I'm writing to tell you that all is well, and I'm currently away on a job that should earn me at least two hundred gold. I'm not sending any money with this letter because you asked me to stop, but if the situation changes and you ever need any, write me, I'll be glad to help. Seriously. Don't be too proud to ask me, I really don't need the amounts these guys keep paying me._

 _So, how is business in the Jasmine Dragon going? I'm sure you have plenty of customers. I myself have never been able to tell the difference between good tea and bad tea, and in truth, I prefer mango juice, but the people really like your tea, at least from what I've seen._

Zuko looked up, thought for a moment, and crossed out 'I prefer mango juice'. He didn't want to risk giving his uncle a heart attack, or, in the case he survived, being disowned by his only remaining sane family member.

 _Is Jin still a regular customer or has she stopped now that I'm gone? I hope not. She seemed to enjoy talking to you, as well. How's the hired help holding up? I know you needed someone else to help once I left, but I was getting an untrustworthy vibe from that person. I hope you'll tell me I was wrong, but in case not, maybe one of Jin's brothers would do. She told me about them, and apparently they have a hard time getting a job. I can't imagine it's getting better now that the city's under Fire Nation control._

 _I'm afraid I have to decline your invitation to come and visit. Right now I'm on a job, and I'm planning on visiting some old friends when I'm finished. Maybe later._

 _To answer your constant inquiries, no, I don't have a 'lady friend' yet. No, I don't want one. No, you shouldn't try to pair me up with anyone. I'll find my own girlfriend once I feel I'm ready, or when I meet the right person. Right now my job doesn't encourage staying in one place, and I'm not a person for one-night stands. Maybe later, when I've decided on a place to stay on a more constant basis._

 _I wish you good health, and I hope you finally find the right pai sho playing partner._

 _Your loving nephew,_

 _Zuko_

 _P.S. In your letters, please call me Lee. I don't know who might be standing next to me when I read your letters, and some of my friends might be bright enough to make the connection between 'banished prince Zuko' and 'my old buddy Lee, who also apparently happens to be named Zuko and has a huge scar on his face'._

Zuko looked up, satisfied, and rolled the scroll up, tying it with a ribbon to Hawky's leg.

"I need you to take this to my uncle, okay? His name is Iroh, and he lives in Ba Sing Se."

The bird screeched, once, and flew off. Zuko looked after it, not feeling guilty in the least for using a bird assigned for job purposes for his own personal gain. Messenger hawks were strange birds, he reflected. Not only were they hawks, not turtle-hawks or slug-hawks, they always knew how to find the recipient of the message. How they did it was a mystery. They didn't return to their home nest, and they didn't even need to have met the recipient beforehand. All they needed was a letter, a name and a city, and they'd do the rest. Zuko had tried experimenting once, ordering a hawk to fly to Omashu to find a Kinto. Kinto wasn't even a name, and Zuko was sure there wasn't one in Omashu, but the hawk somehow dug one up. He gave up trying to understand how the whole thing worked, then, and just admired how simple and efficient it was.

Zuko sighed and sat down on his bed, stripping his forearm guards down and hanging them on the chair. He did the same to his shin guards and lay back, wondering if he could order someone to bring him a few candles. He had a lot of time and nothing to do, and he figured he might as well try meditating.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: First off, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me what you think. It's really interesting to read your suggestions, and I wish I'd thought of some of them, but Katara or any other main character won't be appearing here._

 _Just to clarify, I do have a backstory for the events of this story written out in my notes, but I didn't include it in the fic itself because I didn't see any way of having Zuko or some other character explain it without it looking like blatant plot exposition. From Zuko's point of view, all he knows is that one day Ba Sing Se had the Fire Nation flag over it, and that was that._

* * *

Inato was pacing on the deck of his ship, hands behind his back. The weather was perfect; not a cloud in sight and no wind, either. In one of those Earth Kingdom wooden ships, it might have been a problem, but this was a Fire Nation ship, the Zumala, all metal and powered by steam. It didn't need wind for sailing, though he had installed sails in case the wind was just right. Inato smiled. He loved his ship. It embodied his philosophies as half-Earth Kingdom half-Fire Nation citizen; take the best from both worlds.

It promised to be smooth sailing all the way to the Fire Nation shores, but Inato was still a little nervous. The Fire Nation border patrol ships were coming up, and Inato hoped like hell that this time, all of his passengers had the right documents. It was less about the fine he'd have to pay and more about seeing people struggle as they were dragged away, probably to rot in some prison.

Relax, old man, he told himself. You used to make a living hunting down pirates. This is just border patrol. Somehow, though, he couldn't shake off the feeling that this was a lot worse.

He could see the patrol ships approaching in the distance, smoke coming from their chimneys. Only two ships this time instead of the customary three, and much smaller than usual. He supposed they were getting spread a little thin, what with all the people trying to smuggle foreign products into the Fire Nation. Inato himself had eaten what he strongly suspected was smuggled Water Tribe fare. What could he do that stewed sea prunes were so delicious?

Zuko was in his cabin when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps thumping on deck. Border patrol. He made his way onto the deck, his documents clutched in his hands. Now was the moment he found out if Kuno was any good. If not, he just hoped the captain had somewhere to hide five bodies.

The border patrol guards barely looked at him when he came out. He supposed he'd get more attention when it was his turn to be checked, but it was still strange. The scar usually never failed to attract attention.

"Next!" the guard said in a bored tone of voice. He looked at the captain. "Anyone still below decks?"

"There might be one other guy," the captain said, "he says he gets seasick easily, so he decided to-"

"I really don't care who of your passengers gets seasick and who ate what for breakfast. Just get him up here! I don't have all day."

The captain bit his lip, probably going to say that they did have all day- there were no other ships in sight- but thought better of it. Instead, he nodded and headed below deck.

The guard looked around to see who hadn't been checked yet. His gaze fell on Zuko.

"You!" he barked. "Get over here. Where's your passport?"

Zuko walked over wordlessly and handed him the slip of paper. The guard looked it over.

"Lee, huh? We've been getting a lot of Lees lately. You seem to check out, though. Here you go."

The guard handed him back his passport and Zuko took it, almost sighing in relief. He didn't even know why he had been worried. Teffe wouldn't say just about anyone that he was good.

Another guard came out on deck. "Sir, there are no smuggled supplies on this ship, at least, as far as I can tell," she said. "There is a shipment of sea prunes, but the captain's got the documents for that."

"Good. We'll just check this last guy the captain's getting and we're free to go."

Right on cue, the captain emerged, dragging after him a man who was hugging a cabbage to his chest. "Sorry, sir. He refused to leave."

The guard waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. Cabbage guy, where's your passport?"

The trembling man passed over his passport. The guard took it, examined it quickly and then laughed. "You're not even trying. This isn't even a forgery. This says you're a citizen of the Earth Kingdom. You're not allowed into Fire Nation territory, and you know what that means."

The man seemed to shrink somehow. "I-I have this, this permit…" he trailed off.

The guard seemed to take pity on him, because he softened his tone slightly. "Alright. Lemme see your permit."

"It's- uh, it's in my, my cabin."

The guard sighed. "Alright, go get your permit. You" - he pointed at the nearest guard, "Go with him and make sure he doesn't try anything stupid."

After a few minutes, the cabbage guy and the guard returned. He was holding a piece of paper which the guard accepted, looked over and returned, surprise clearly written on his face.

"Well, then. I didn't know they were giving out temporary citizenship to cabbage merchants, but it seems we have a lack of cabbages. I really can't think of why else would they start giving out citizenship like that."

"I'm a political refugee."

"Political?"

"Yes. I was viciously singled out by the Avatar, who-" the guy's lower lip trembled. "I'm sorry. I'm not ready to say it yet."

"That's okay, cause I wasn't interested in hearing it."

"My cabbages! They destroyed my cabbages!" The guy was clearly entering a hysterical state. The captain wrinkled his nose and made a sign for one of the crew to take the guy away. The cabbage guy continued wailing as he was being dragged away: "They broke my cart and all my cabbages were gone and they burned them and fed them to the rabiroo-"

The man's wailing grew muffled as he was dragged below deck. The captain and head guard exchanged a glance.

"Alright then. You're clear to go. Welcome to Fire Nation territory."

With that, the guard turned around and left, motioning for the rest of the guards to follow. When they had left the ship, the captain let out a sigh of relief.

"Were you expecting more action?" Zuko asked the captain. The man shrugged.

"There's usually at least one man on board who doesn't have the right paperwork. That, or tries to fake it. Actually, I'm guessing there is one here as well, only he spent more effort on forgeries." The captain looked pointedly at Zuko. Zuko also shrugged. He wasn't caught, end of story. It was none of the man's business.

"So, my friend, what is your name and what do you do for a living?"

"Why?"

"No particular reason. I just thought you might want to talk, not just be stuck in that cabin of yours all day. There's a whole more day of sailing. You'll have plenty of time for that."

"Okay. My name's Lee. You?"

"Inato". The man thrust out a hand, and after some hesitation, Zuko shook it. "But I'm noticing you still haven't answered the first question."  
"Oh, this and that." The captain smiled knowingly. "Ah. Bounty hunter, then. I thought so. It would explain the scar."

No, it wouldn't, Zuko thought angrily. That's none of your business. On the surface, though, he tried to remain calm, saying: "Why bounty hunter? Why not trader or farmer?"

The man seemed to sense he'd touched a sore point with the scar, because he said "No need to get defensive. I may have made some hasty assumptions. If you'd like to say you're a trader, sure, I see no problem with that. You might as well have gotten the scar from some road bandits for all I know."

Zuko deflated suddenly, not even sure why. "Yeah, I'm a bounty hunter," he admitted. Inato smiled. "Nothing wrong with that. I used to be a pirate hunter myself when I was younger."

Zuko was rather interested, so Inato spent the next hour or so regaling him with tales about the pirates he'd hunted down. One of them featured in his stories a lot, a sort of dashing young man who'd escape every time he was captured.

"He gave me a lot of trouble, that one," Inato reminisced. "Haven't seen him since the old days. I wonder if he settled down. Though if he did, I'm not sure what he'd do with the reptilian bird."

"Reptilian bird?"

"Yeah, it was a weird thing. Would always sit on his shoulder, like some kind of hawk. I remember the first thing the guy stole from some sort of temple, a golden monkey with this scary grin. I have no idea what he wanted it for. I can't imagine the kind of customer who'd want to buy that thing."

Zuko smiled. "I can."

Inato shrugged. "No accounting for tastes. So, do you have a joint citizenship, are your fire nation documents fake or were you in the earth kingdom illegally?"

'Um… Well, I do have a fire nation citizenship- at least did. This one's fake, but I was born in the fire nation. I got my earth nation passport later."

"I didn't even know it was possible to lose your citizenship. How'd you manage?"

"It's a long and painful story." Zuko looked away. "If it satisfies your curiosity, it had to do with the scar." He didn't even know why he mentioned that. Maybe it was the old man reminded him of Iroh, and he hadn't had anyone to talk to for a long time, if you didn't count the brief encounter with Teffe.

Inato nodded. "I won't pry. Have you been away from home for long?"

Zuko felt a lump start forming in his throat. "Four years," he said hoarsely. "And I'm not even allowed to return yet. I don't know how my nation has changed, or how I've changed. I can barely even remember the capital." He did remember the palace with astounding clarity, but he had never been to the city much to begin with, and what little memory he had had soon faded away. He wondered if the kids still played hide-and-explode in the schools. It had been only four years (four whole years), it shouldn't have changed by then, but he still couldn't help but be afraid that the place he'd left was not the one he was returning to.

He knew what Inato was thinking. He couldn't have been older than fourteen when he'd left, who'd force a child to leave a country and why? Zuko often asked himself the same question. Sometimes, he thought he knew the answer, but didn't want to admit it to himself. Sometimes, he was clueless. Those times were better.

He turned around abruptly. "I have to go. There's, uh, my message hawk to feed. Thank you for the stories. They were very interesting."

As he walked down the staircase, Zuko could almost feel Inato's eyes on his back. He was glad when he entered his cabin and shut the door.


	6. Chapter 6

The woman Zuko was renting his apartment from was nice, didn't charge much and kind of attractive. She also wouldn't stop batting her eyelashes at him. Zuko was going to ask her if she had some kind of eye infection before he realized that this was the accepted way of flirting.

"So that's three gold pieces, and if you need anything else I live right across the street." She smiled at him. Zuko nodded, handing the coins over.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Nice to see you, hope you don't break any dishes or windows and take care about the old woman next door. She's scary. Bye!"

After the woman (Zuko still couldn't remember her name) left, Zuko sighed and took out the money he had left. If he rationed it, he could live on a few silver pieces a week. There were some things he had to buy first, though. Some red clothes, and maybe a hawk stand…

A few hours later, Zuko was back from the marketplace, sweaty and irritated. He hated bargaining, random people pushing past him and flies, which made trips to the market a nightmare. He did have what he needed, though, as well as some supplies for the following days. Having some soap was nice.

He placed the hawk stand on the table. As if on cue, he heard a banging at the window and walked over to see Hawky trying to fly inside. Zuko opened the window and the hawk immediately landed on his arm, letting him untie the letter before flying over to perch on the stand.

Huh. That was fast. Strange; the road to the earth Kingdom was pretty long. Zuko unrolled the letter. It was the same one he had sent to his uncle, but when he turned it over, he saw some red writing with a stamp of the FNS, saying: 'Please refrain from using FNS hawks for your own private messages. Thank you.'

Damn those agents.

He didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, so he supposed he might as well visit the houses of the five suspects to scout for suspicious activity. He decided to start with the artist, Shai, because he lived closest to Zuko's apartment.

The house was big, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a light color scheme. It looked pretty spacious inside, and while there were plenty trees in the back yard, allowing for multiple spying places, Zuko decided to start with a more direct approach. He tugged the hood of his new Fire Nation robe over his head and walked up to the front door. Zuko took a breath, picked up the knocker and rapped twice.

Esumi and Miura were doing the dishes when there was a knock at the door.

"You get it," Miura said without looking up. Esumi sighed. She hated talking to strangers, but Miuri was the senior maid.

She opened the door and put a sweet smile on her face. "How may I help you?"

The man standing on the other side of the door was wearing a hood that obscured most of his features, but as far as she could tell, he looked like a pretty average Fire Nation citizen.

"I would like to order a portrait," he said in a raspy voice. Esumi nodded. "Big, small or medium, and colorful or black and white?"

"Small and black and white. How long would it take, and how long would I have to sit here if I wanted myself painted?"

"For a small black and white, about twenty minutes and twenty more that Master Shai can do from memory. For a big watercolor or colored ink, like most people here order, it would be about an hour, plus two hours' memory work. If you want an embroidery, that's three hours, and a statue would take at least a couple months. A large layered portrait might take a week, with an hours' work every day."

"Sounds like the painter is pretty busy."

"Yes, Master Shai works a lot."

"How much? When is he free?"

"Well, we have a few hours next week. But you have to understand, Master Shai spends what time he is not working with his family. He doesn't have time to meet with people or paint without a pre- arranged appointment. Should I schedule a sitting with Master Shai for you?"

"Um, not yet. First I'd like to talk to some of the people whose portraits he did. Just to see his work."

"Oh, you don't have to worry. Master Shai is really very good. He just might be the next painter to the royal family, and if you know that, you know he's got to be good. But, if it makes you feel better, here are some of the names of his clients."

Esumi watched the hooded man write down the names and addresses she gave him. Master Shai was good, but she had chosen the people whose portraits had turned out the best, just in case.

The man put his notebook away and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your answers. I expect you'll see me soon, requesting an appointment."  
"It's no trouble" Esumi bowed lower. "We'll look forward to seeing you."

What a strange man, Esumi thought as he left. Why did he even need to see other clients? He could have just asked for a work sample.

Well, he was gone now, so it didn't matter. Esumi sighed and went back to her dishes.

The people who had had their portraits done at Shai's were rather boring, all alike and, most importantly, confirmed one thing: Shai spent most of his hours painting or at home, and only ever visited social parties or the court in general when he absolutely had to; i.e, he was out of a job and needed to get more clients. He could not have the information the spy had sent to the Earth Kingdom. Unless, of course, there was a spy network, and more than one suspect was guilty, which could mean that all Shai did was transfer information that someone else had sent him. Zuko was too tired to deal with that possibility right now. The day wasn't an entire waste but, as far as he was concerned, he had to figure out who the spy was, not eliminate all other suspects. Zuko ate a few lychee nuts, drank a cup of tea (expensive stuff, yet he still couldn't tell the difference between that and the cheapest jasmine) and wrote the day's observations down in his notebook before going to bed. He'd start the real work tomorrow early in the morning.

The guy who worked at the postal office was chatty, and also susceptible to bribes in the amount of two gold pieces. The job Zuko had for him was simple: tell him when any one of the five suspects tried to send a message, and delay the message hawk enough for Zuko's hawk to intercept him. It didn't cover all the possibilities, and it wasn't very likely that the spy would send secret messages via postal office, but it was worth a try. Now all he had left was to buy five hawks and position them all near the suspects' houses, to make sure they intercepted the mail of any personal hawks the five might have.

Buying five hawks turned out to be easy, though he did get an odd look from the cashier, as was positioning them near the houses with enough feed to last a week. The problem was getting the birds to understand what their mission was.

They might have understood him the first time, Zuko really didn't know, but he wasn't willing to take chances. He knew a messenger hawk could find any person in the world by their name or address only, and could probably understand simple orders, but he wasn't sure they were up to standing guard for at least a week. In the end, Zuko decided to trust in the hawks and left, mainly because it was incredibly frustrating how they kept squawking at him as a reply to anything he told them.

As he set up the hawks, Zuko got a good look at the houses. The house of Keishon (who turned out to be an expert on _agriculture_ , of all things) was of average size but in a very good neighborhood, very close to the palace itself. Rin, the advisor, lived in a large house that was slightly further from the palace. His house, for whatever reason, had small windows with bars on them, and no hiding places nearby good for spying. Kyo, the noble, as expected, had a huge mansion on the second side of the palace, where the aristocracy lived, and Naoki, the helper, lived in a small house that looked exactly like the ten other houses on either side of it. It was the same red-gray color, and even had the same red flowers that the neighboring houses had. Judging by how he chose to live, this was either a man with no creativity and personality whatsoever, or a spy with a really clever disguise.

That day, Zuko felt like he made some real progress, both with the hawks and some other things. He'd managed to get a calendar with the dates of all the social events that were happening at court. The closest one was a charity ball in two weeks. He hoped he might get some more information spying on that from the outside, or possibly masquerading as a servant. Maybe he could learn who of his five suspects had the access to the kind of information he needed.

Writing down everything he'd learned, Zuko reflected that he needed to get a job, just in case the mission failed and Makoto wanted his forty gold back. Then again, with his luck, he'd probably end up working as a tea server, his own personal idea of a nightmare. Maybe it was better to just focus on the mission, and if he failed, well, he could always get a job then.

Hopefully not in a tea shop.


	7. Chapter 7

The ballroom was large, with red lilies and embroidered tapestries decorating the walls. There was a slight scent of jasmine in the air, and the night air was warm and humid. An orchestra was playing quietly. It was the perfect setting for a ball.

Nura took a candied cherry from the banquet table and nibbled at it slowly. The evening was going perfectly so far. A lot of guests had showed up, and she thought that with the amount of money she was raising from this thing, she could make a real change in the education of the children in the Colonies.

"Ah! Nura, lovely as ever." It was Tengan, approaching her from the dancing floor. Nura knew she looked perfect in her deep red skirt and open top, but she smiled and said, "You're too kind," because that was what was expected.

"Would you care to dance?" Tengan asked her, as she knew he would, and she nodded and accepted, just as he knew she would. There was a way to do things. It was part of what she liked about these balls.

As they swayed slowly in tact to the music, Nura brought up the subject she knew he was waiting for. "So, Tengan, you have surely heard of my efforts to help the children of the colonies receive a better education." Of course he had; the whole ball was dedicated to it. She had to ask, for the sake of courtesy.

"I have, my lady, and I believe it is a noble cause to which I am ready to contribute."

"I know you have already helped my cause greatly, but I believe that with this last donation I will finally have enough to convince some teachers from the homeland to go and work at the Colony schools. It will be a great step forward from the usual ink-and-paper shipments. "

Tengan leaned in closer, his lips almost touching her ear. "I would love to help you. Yet, I have heard certain… rumors."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes. I have heard that some of the money is going not only to the Colony Fire Nation schools, but also to those built there for the Earth Kingdom children."

Ah. She had known that would be the issue here. "My dear Tengan, those children are now under the protection of the Fire nation. They pay their taxes, they deserve to get a free education."

"Yes, but you know as well as I do that those children, cute though they may be, are second sort. They cannot become Fire Nation, no matter how hard they try or what school they go to."  
"I never said they could. But do we not wish to give them a chance to become decent workers, or soldiers, or do any job of the sort as well as they can? They can't do that without a basic education."

"I imagine servants don't need an education."

"Oh, but they do. And, to face an even more important problem, at home these children aren't taught patriotism to their new country. Without a Fire Nation school, many of those children may well become rebels. With one, though, they can understand the greatness of the Fire Nation to its full, and become proper citizens, even if they don't have the same opportunities that we do. Besides, by decree of the Fire Lord, all Colony eartheners are considered class b citizens, not class c like Water Tribe peasants. Class c deserve to be wiped out, but class b may have a chance at becoming loyal citizens of the Fire nation."

"I know that." Tengan was starting to sound a little irritated. "I just want to make sure that the money goes where it should."

Ouch. That was offending. "Of course it does. What do you think I'm doing, sponsoring Earth Kingdom rebels?"

"Of course not, my lady. What you said sounds right and reasonable, and I'll be glad to help however I can," Tengan backtracked

Bingo. "Thank you so much, Tengan. This will really help make a change, I know it."

They danced in silence for a while, and Nura was starting to think that she should get over to the next potential donator, when her glance fell on the window.

Nura yelped quietly, in a quite unladylike fashion. "What is it?" Tengan asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine now. It's just… I could have sworn I saw a blue demon stare at me from the windowsill."

"It's alright, you probably just need a little fresh air. Let me escort you to the balcony."

Nura gratefully leaned on Tegan's shoulder as they made their way outside. Tengan had been right- the fresh air did help her erase the image of the fanged, smiling face. It was probably just nerves, she decided. Organizing a charity event was never easy, and this time it had been even more stressful than usual.

Outside, Zuko cursed under his breath as he clung to the underside of the windowsill. He was pretty sure one of the fancily dressed high society women might have noticed him. He knew he shouldn't have brought the mask, or bought a darker one. He was just used to this one. It was comforting, in a way.

So far, the ball had been a complete waste of time. He had heard a lot of gossip, a story about someone's uncle getting stuck in a tree and a few jokes, but that was it.

Three of his five suspects had been there; Shai, the artist, Rin, the advisor, and Kyo, the noble. Kyo was expected to be there, as a noble, and so was Shai: this was a great place to get more orders for portraits. Rin was somewhat of a surprise, but maybe he simply cared about the education of children in the Colonies. Shai, as expected, had left early into the party, which furthered Zuko's suspicions that he couldn't be the spy. You needed connections for that sort of thing, and you got those by talking to people. There was no way around it.

Kyo had been talking to all kinds of people, largely about Fire Nation politics. Rin had mainly stayed in the corner, only coming out once to compliment a lady on her dress. He was currently sipping some rice wine, looking around the ballroom. Zuko wondered why he had bothered to come at all.

A drift of conversation caught his attention: "… very important information. Make sure Rin gets it. It has the next meeting point and…"

The conversation became too silent to hear. Zuko looked to see who had been talking. It looked to be one of the better off members of society, who was currently tucking something into his sleeve. That was suspicious. Next meeting point? Very important information?

Truthfully, Zuko had been suspecting that Rin was the spy for quite some time. Shai had been out; there was no way he had the info the spy did or the free time to get it. Keishon had also been out. Zuko remembered when he had witnessed the scene that had caused him to erase Keishon from the suspects list.

Keishon had been sitting on his youngest child's bed, reading him a bedtime story. Zuko had arrived at the window just in time to hear the end:

"And so, the great Firelord conquered the Earth Kingdom city and saved the princess. Then, under his great and powerful rule, they all lived happily ever after."

The child had yawned sleepily and asked: "Father, is it true that the Firelord defeated the evil Earth King?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"And did they all live happily forever?"

"Yes. And do you know why?"

"Because the Firelord is the greatest ruler ever. He's strong, and wise, and kind. And our nation is the best!"

"That's right, little one. Good night."

As the father turned to blow out the candle, the little boy had said, "Daddy, when I grow up I want to be a soldier. Then I can help us fight those stupid earth people."

Keishon had turned with a tear in his eyes and said: "I think that's a wonderful idea. It would be so sad for me to be away from you for so long, but knowing that you are fighting for our glorious nation would make me so proud. Sleep tight, little one."

"Good night, dad."

Zuko had decided, then and there, that a spy of the Earth Kingdom couldn't possibly be raising his children to be so loyal to the Fire Nation. It was impossible to believe in something completely and yet raise your children to believe in the exact opposite. Family was the one thing you couldn't give up for a cause (or at least it should be, Zuko thought bitterly, thinking of his own experiences). It was why unmarried, young Rin was much more of a suspect than middle-aged family man Kyo.

The remaining suspects all fit the basic criteria Zuko thought a spy should be. They knew their way around the palace, they knew the people that hung around the palace and they didn't have tiny kids whom they were raising to become fanatical Fire Nation soldiers. Kyo had a family and Naoki was an exceptionally average, boring man from all accounts, but none of that was enough for Zuko to say for sure that they weren't the spy. Rin was an ambitious young man, had middle-level military clearance (at least) _and_ was a military advisor. He would make for an exceptionally useful spy. Plus, there was that snippet of conversation he had overheard earlier, with the meeting point and very important information that Rin had to get. Funny that they'd be talking about things like that at a ball, but then, maybe they had made sure that nobody could hear them – at least from inside the ballroom.

The ball continued for a few more hours and then the guests started to disband. Zuko had actually stayed a while longer in the hopes that the spy would decide to talk to his contacts in the emptied room (he would have to be a very stupid spy, but hey, it was a possibility and it couldn't hurt), but nothing happened. The only person present was a man with a broom, sweeping the floor slowly. After watching him for a few minutes and deciding that the man wasn't a secret agent undercover Zuko unwound from the window and lightly jumped to the ground, rolling when he landed. Climbing over the fence and over onto the rooftops was easy, as was getting to his apartment. He took the mask off, slipped on a red shirt to cover the obviously ninja-esque outfit, checked that the street was empty and jumped down, landing right in front of his door. Another ordinary day of his job.

Unlocking the door, Zuko walked into his temporary living quarters, throwing the keys onto the table. He took a drink of water and then leaned down, unlatching a loose floorboard to reveal a small hiding place Zuko had made a few days prior. He then put the mask inside and closed the compartment, jumping on the floor a few times to get the lid closed. There. Now that he was done with the important staff, he could relax.

It was too bad he couldn't order some servants to draw him a hot bath, Zuko reflected. It had been years since he could. If he was ever allowed to return to the palace, a turn of events which seemed more and more unlikely given the circumstances, that would be the first thing he'd do.

Azula could order servants around to her heart's content, Zuko thought bitterly. She had probably been hailed as a hero when she returned home with the Avatar's death on her hands. He wondered what his father's reaction had been when it turned out the Avatar was alive after all. All that glory had turned to failure and defeat, though knowing Azula, she had probably turned that around to her benefit somehow.

Zuko walked over to his bed and dug a journal out of the covers. He flipped to the first clean page and started writing: 'Day seventeen. Went to charity ball. Heard people talking about important information that Rin has to get and some meeting point. Rin sounding more and more suspicious. Reminder to check his office. Got first letter by messenger hawk system. Letter from Naoki to his mother. Very useless boring letter, but proves system works. Hawk given treat and set to intercept additional messages.' Zuko paused and looked up, fingering his stylus while he thought of what to write next. He settled on listing the names of the people Kyo and Rin had talked to at the ball (with the latter it was three people, and one of those was a maid who served snacks), so he could look them up later and see if there was anything suspicious about any of them.

The journal wasn't necessary, but it did help him keep track of his observations, and it would be interesting to flip through later and see if his initial suspicions had been correct. They probably were. In real life, things didn't happen in the most interesting way possible, only in the most logical way. It made the most sense that Rin was the spy. Chances were, he was.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: There's been some sort of error in the posting system. While it did post the previous chapter, I got a message that there was a mistake and the chapter wasn't published, so I'm not sure if anyone got the new chapter alert. Just in case, you might want to look at the previouse chapter to make sure you've already read it. Also, my posting schedule seems to have moved around somehow, so I'm sorry about that. It's going to be Sundays and Thursdays from now on._

* * *

Zuko crouched next to the window of Rin's study. The man himself was gone, and Zuko thought it was the best opportunity he would get to make himself familiar with the inside of Rin's desk.

So far, though, there didn't seem to be a way in. The window was high up and narrow, and the only way to reach it seemed to be from a tree nearby. Unfortunately, the tree was bare, with only a few branches and very little leaves. Anyone passing on the street would be able to see him in the tree, trying to break into a house.

After that, if he somehow got past the tree without anyone noticing, he would have to hang below the windowsill while unlocking the window bars themselves, again remaining unnoticed. Zuko didn't really know how to pick locks, and anyway, why would Rin put one on the window? To be able to open the window at times while remaining protected from thieves? It seemed a bit too much in way of security measures, though of course, if Rin was the spy it was entirely justified.

Zuko looked down to the street. There was no one in sight. Now was his chance. Climbing onto the tree quickly, he leaped to the windowsill and hung there by the tips of his fingers, managing to remain mostly in the shadows. Phase one was complete. Now for phase two.

As Zuko had predicted, picking the lock was pointless. It yielded absolutely no results, and moreover, Zuko realized his grip was starting to slip. Frustrated, he started heating the metal up, and within a minute it gave way. Climbing into the window, Zuko regretted it. Rin would notice his office had been broken into, and there weren't all that many firebenders who could make a fire strong enough to melt metal. At least he wouldn't come under suspicion. Zuko was sure no one would think of the long-ago banished prince who most people assumed was dead.

Creeping quietly to the side of the room, Zuko locked the door. There. Now anyone who was in the house- a maid or a friend that had come to visit- would simply assume that Rin was working, and leave him alone.

The desk yielded no results. It was full of letters and reports that Zuko was sure the spy would have killed for, but, being an advisor, Rin had a complete justification for having these documents. A quick check behind the bookshelf and every one of the books also brought nothing. Zuko was about to start checking for secret drawers when a step on one of the floor tiles caused a metallic click.

Turning around, Zuko looked down. It looked like an ordinary floor tile, but when he moved it aside, underneath it was a small key opening.

Rin would be returning in half an hour at the most. If he wanted to have time to escape, Zuko had to work quickly. Searching again through the drawers, he found a small, not-very-well-hidden compartment with a key that he must have assumed was from the cupboard in his last check. The key matched the one in the floor. Excited, Zuko turned it twice and opened the revealed trapdoor.

In it were a few paper folders, all labeled with the date. Zuko picked one out at random and started to open it.

Suddenly, Zuko heard the front door open. Damn Rin! Couldn't he have stayed at the meeting a little longer?

Putting the folder exactly to where it had been before, Zuko locked the trap door, practically ran to the drawer, shoved the key into the compartment and left hastily through the window, closing it after him. He didn't have time to check if anyone had seen him, so he decided to screw cautiousness and ran to the rooftop, leaping easily to the next one. He thought he might have heard someone shout something, but he wasn't sure, and in a few moments he was already far from Rin's house.

Running easily from roof to roof, Zuko though about the one thing he had managed to see from Rin's folder. "ASW secret agent. Frequents the court." Was it enough to say, with one hundred percent certainty, that Rin was the spy? Makoto had been very clear on the 'no killing innocent people' (though Zuko would have preferred him to put it a bit differently), and Zuko himself wasn't too keen to get blood on his hands. It seemed pretty sure, though. A secret trapdoor, files, and a connection to the ASW? Zuko didn't see how it could get surer than that.

He thought over what he knew of the ASW. They were a group of fighters, whose ultimate goal appeared to be the bringing down of Firelord Ozai. They had spies in many Fire Nation cities, and were known to be working with the Water Tribe, which provided them with supplies. The Earth Kingdom king hadn't agreed to help them, but there were rumors that some regional city rulers had. They would sometimes hire bounty hunters, for rather small amounts of money, but most people agreed to work with them in the name of their common goal. The ASW stood either for Adaptable Stoic Warriors or Alliance to Save the World. The first had been heard from Teffe in a bar, so its credibility suffered greatly.

That was pretty much it. Any connection to the ASW in a Fire Nation citizen was punishable by death. Zuko would be completely justified in offing Rin. And yet…

Zuko noticed that he had reached his house. He opened the door and locked it behind him, sitting down on his bed without bothering to take off his boots. And yet… Why did the thought of killing Rin make him so uneasy?

It was obvious, of course. This would be his first assassination mission. He had killed before, but it was always in the middle of a fight or in self-defense, and he could count the lives he'd taken on the fingers of one hand. The bounties he got, somehow, were never assassinations. He hadn't really thought about it when he'd taken this one, pushed the nagging thought about murder to the back of his head, and ignored it the rest of the way. But now, when he had finally gotten so close to the mission itself, he was hesitating.

It made no sense. Rin was a spy and Zuko still considered himself a citizen of the Fire Nation. The war had done horrible things to the Earth Kingdom people, but there was a reason for it. If they hadn't attacked first the Earth Kingdom would have, it was only a matter of time. Anyway, the Earth Kingdom people would be better off under Fire Nation control, with free education and hospitals and the great things the Fire Nation culture could bring. He didn't always agree with how the war was waged, but that was a problem with the generals, not the Nation itself. And maybe the leaders of the Fire Nation weren't aware of the destruction they were causing. Maybe they had to get out there and see it for themselves. If Zuko had the throne, he would end the war and be satisfied with the colonies they already had. Unfortunately, Azula was next in line, and if Zuko knew his little sister he knew that her first step would probably be the obliteration of the entire Earth Kingdom or something equally horrible. She'd find a way to pull it off somehow.

Even if he wasn't a loyal citizen of the Fire Nation, Zuko was still a bounty hunter. Someone payed for him to do something and he did it. There wasn't supposed to be any thinking involved on the matter of why, just on how to do it. This was wrong. The more he thought about it the less certainty he had that he would manage to do it. He had to get out there right now and kill Rin.

But as he sat on the bed, Zuko became more and more unsure. He had to kill the spy, definitely, but if there was the slightest chance that Rin wasn't the spy, he wouldn't forgive himself. Thinking it over once again, he finally reached a solution.

He'd get cleaned up and go to sleep, spending the evening thinking on any possible way Rin wasn't the spy that fit with the evidence. If, by morning, he hadn't found anything, he'd wait until the afternoon when Rin came home, ambush him near the entrance to his house and finish him with the dao swords.

It seemed to make sense, and it would give him more time to come to terms with what he was about to do, if nothing else. Slightly less worried, Zuko started taking off his black clothes. In the morning everything would seem easier.

000

In the morning, Zuko got up in a relatively foul mood. He had come up with no explanation as to why Rin didn't have to be the spy, and he was going to have to do what he'd promised himself. He always did.

The hours passed incredibly quickly, so much that Zuko was starting to think someone had sold him an inaccurate time candle. He checked

At four-o-candle Zuko left his apartment and made his way to Rin's house. He climbed the roof and lay there behind the chimney, ready to jump down the second Rin appeared. His heart was beating faster than normal and he had to keep suppressing the small flames that lit up on his fingertips. It would be over soon.

An hour passed, then another. There was still no sign of Rin. Zuko was beginning to grow bored. Finally, when it was already dark outside, Zuko decided to leave. He couldn't stay the entire night, and Rin could arrive very late. It was best to reset the date to tomorrow.

Feeling slightly relieved (and guilty about it), Zuko made his way back to the house. There, he took out his journal and began writing:

"Rin has secret trapdoor in office. Key in hidden drawer. In trapdoor folders labeled with dates. One of folders says: 'ASW secret agent, frequents the court'. Meaning unclear, but enough evidence for elimination."

Zuko looked out the window, musing over what to write next, when he saw a person in a black outfit running on the roof of the nearest house. Surprised, Zuko got up to see closer, but by that time the man had already jumped to the next roof, blending in with the shadows and out of sight.

This required further investigating. Zuko got up, dug out his mask and swords, and ran outside, jumping onto the roof to follow the man. Realizing that he was long gone, he instead decided to do something else: run in the direction the man had been running from. Chances were low that he'd find whatever the man was running from, if he was even running from something instead of chasing someone, but Zuko thought it was his best shot.

The overall direction was towards the city center. Zuko decided to climb the tallest building he knew, to see if there was anything unusual happening down in the streets. The tallest building was the astronomical tower, the building astronomers used to look at the stars. Zuko climbed it easily, standing up and breathing the night air when he reached the top.

The city looked like it usually did, and Zuko was about to give up and return home, when he noticed a patch of light near the city center. Curious, he leaned in closer, and was barely able to see that it was a group of people with torches.

Jumping from roof to roof, Zuko swiftly got down from the tower and started making his way towards the gathering. To his surprise, the people appeared to be centered around Rin's house.

Finding a place in one of the trees to eavesdrop on the group was easy. The atmosphere was tense; the people were whispering to one another, almost all of them wearing expressions of concern on their faces. Zuko heard someone say: "Doctor says it's a heart attack.."

"It can't be a heart attack," came a reply from somewhere. The next few words were lost in the whispers, but Zuko did manage to catch: "Healthy as an ox-pig. No, people say," here the voice dropped even lower, "He was involved with the spying business. One of them offed him."

A few people gasped. "Makes no sense," someone said. "As loyal to our nation as anyone."

"You thinking so is what makes him a good spy," the first voice answered.

"And from where do you have this information?" A third voice asked. "Ladies, Gentlemen, I advise you not to listen to rumors on the street. Now, if you would please step aside, we have a body, thank you.."

A few more whispers, and the crowd started to disperse. Two people, carrying a stretcher, walked through. A body, covered in a white cloth, lay on the stretcher.

Zuko craned his neck, trying to see closer. One of the two tripped on something, righting himself with a muffled curse. The movement jolted the body, allowing part of the cloth to slip off and uncovering the face of the dead man.

It was Rin.


	9. Chapter 9

Zuko's first reaction was relief. The second was guilt for being relieved. The third was a thought about whether or not Makoto would count this as a completed mission.

Well, either way, it seemed like his job here in the Fire Nation was done. Zuko supposed he needed to start thinking about new documents, this time announcing him as an earth kingdom denizen. Also, if Makoto didn't consider the mission as a success, he needed to somehow get the money to pay him back. Otherwise, he would be stuck here with no money and a huge debt.

Quietly getting out of the tree, Zuko made his way home. Wasting no time, he started writing:

 _" Hello, Makoto._

 _Rin was confirmed to be the spy. I found a secret trapdoor in his office with various files inside. Unfortunately, I was unable to read most of them, but I did have time to open one and see that it contained mention of the ASW and the Royal Court. Rin is now dead, though not by my hand. It is said that he died of a heart attack, though there are rumors that he died as a result of his work as a spy. By the looks of the body, he died at least a day ago, probably in the late evening. I take this as a sign that my mission is complete. Please send the payment via the next messenger hawk._

 _-Lee"_

Zuko looked over the letter, checking to see if there was anything that needed to be changed. Finding nothing, he blew on the ink to make it dry faster, waited for a minute and then rolled up the paper into a scroll and tied it with a ribbon.

"Hawky, come here." The hawk obediently flew over to Zuko's hand, raising his leg to make it easier to tie the letter.

"I need you to take this to Makoto. Not that you'd agree to take it anywhere else, judging by my previous experiences, but still. Do you understand?"

The hawk looked like it was nodding. "Okay, then. Fly fast, I really need to know whether to get a job or not."

A quick caw of agreement and Hawky flew out the window, disappearing quickly against the night sky. Zuko sighed. It would take about the day for the hawk to reach Makoto and another day for the reply to come back. For now, he might as well try celebrating the completion of the mission with no bloodshed.

The bar was one of the better off ones in the harbor city. Zuko guessed that the ones in the Caldera neighborhood, where Rin lived and only the wealthiest could go, were better, but this one was also a far cry from the seedy places Teffe frequented in the Earth Kingdom. For one, the walls were actually clean and there were no suspicious stains on the floor. For another, the wine was more than drinkable, and Zuko soon found himself enjoying another cup.

"You look to be in a good mood," the bartender commented as he refilled Zuko's cup.

"Yeah, I guess I am." It was a rather rare thing for Zuko to hear, and he resolved to stay in the good mood for as long as he could. The wine was helping with that. It made him pleasantly warm, and while he had not reached the depressed or violent states, it was making him a bit chattier than usual.

"What's the deal?" the bartender asked, wiping an empty glass.

"I just completed a job that should get me a round sum, and I managed to avoid the really unpleasant part," Zuko answered, not sure why.

"Well, that warrants a celebration. Come, there's almost no customers in here anyway. My helper can handle it. Why don't we sit here in this corner and you tell me about it?"

The bartender was one of those friendly people that somehow connect with anyone they meet, and Zuko decided sitting and chatting to him for the rest of the night was better than drinking alone.

"I can't tell you about the job, because it's pretty secret. My employer would rather I keep quiet about it," Zuko said as they sat down in a corner booth.

"Alright then, that's too bad. Tell me, what are you going to do with the money?"

Zuko paused. "Um, well, I hadn't really thought about it. I'll definitely send my uncle some, he said I shouldn't but I'm getting more than enough for myself. Aside from that, I guess I'll just live comfortably for some time. Then, when the money runs out, I'll get a new job."

The bartender clucked his tongue. "That may be okay while you're young, but trust me, when you get older you'll realize you can't live like this. You got to invest in something worthwhile, like a cause, or your family. You can't live aimlessly."

"I-" Zuko was about to protest, but decided it wasn't worth it. "I have time. I'll figure it out later."

A few hours later they were both much drunker than when they started. "You have a nice family," Zuko commented on a story of the bartender's. "I wish I was so lucky."

"Oh? You have problems?"

Zuko chuckled. "That's an understatement. My sister is a maniac who probably wants me dead, and my father doesn't even want me around. My uncle is alright, but all he wants is to run his tea shop, and I can't live like that. It's too boring."

"You'll come to appreciate boring when you're older," the bartender, who was getting a little red in the face, commented. "Take my bar. It's not exactly the pinnacle of interest, but I like it. You get to meet people. I make a point to talk to at least one new person every day, to make people here feel welcome."

"That's nice."

"Yeah. Tell you what, I have a nice idea right now. There's this new drink that's really popular with the young people now. It causes hallucinations, but good ones. The guys say it leaves you with a good feeling inside."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. People say," here his voice lowered to a conspirational whisper, "That it's imported illegally from the Earth Kingdom deserts. But hey, I buy it from the market here. Nothing illegal 'bout that. Here, let me bring it here."

The bartender rose and came back in a minute holding a small bottle with a green spiky plant drawn on it.

"You want to try this stuff?"

But Zuko, who was already getting a bit sleepy, shook his head. "The last thing I need right now is hallucinations. I think I'll just go home now. It was nice talking to you."

"Nice talking to you too. See you around."

It was only after Zuko had closed the door of the pub that he realized he never even learned the bartender's name.


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was setting over Caldera City, hiding beneath the side of the crater. The last few beams of light shone over Zuko's bed as he packed his things. There wasn't a lot to pack. He couldn't take any of the red clothes with him, and the only things he had acquired in the city were some bars of soap and a flask of aromatic oil, the sort his mother had used for her perfume all those years ago. He had been passing the oils stall on the market when he recognized the smell. It was a marvel he still hadn't forgotten it. The smell woke up old memories he didn't knew he had; the lullaby she would sing to him at night sometimes, the times spent playing with Azula when it had not ended in disaster, his tsungi horn playing lessons. Happier times.

He had bought the flask on a whim, and now, as he smelled it, it made him long for something he couldn't recognize. He would visit Uncle Iroh, he decided suddenly, as soon as he was finished with this and back in the Earth Kingdom. Families should stick together while they could. Even if it wasn't quite the same in Ba Sing Se, in the tea shop, as it had been at home. Anyway, with the city under Fire Nation occupation and officially part of the colonies, it was practically his homeland, a sort of home away from home.

This was the evening of the second day since Zuko had sent the letter. A reply was supposed to come soon, together with the reward money; it was all Zuko was waiting for before he left this apartment and his nation for good, maybe forever. He had already told the woman he was renting his apartment from he was leaving and had found someone who could fake him an Earth Kingdom passport. He just needed the money to pay the forger and buy the tickets, and then he could be off. It left him with a strange feeling inside.

He inspected the room once more to check that he hadn't forgotten anything. The room was completely bare, nothing on the shelves and table. He supposed he should stay here until Hawky returned, just in case something happened and Makoto was refusing to pay him.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the window. Zuko walked over and opened it, stretching out his arm for Hawky to jump on to. He unrolled the letter, careful not to rip the fine paper. Strangely enough, there was no money pouch attached to the letter. He hoped Makoto didn't insist on him coming to collect the payment himself.

The letter was written in careful calligraphy and had a stamp of the FNS on it. It was clear that someone had spent a lot of time writing it. This didn't make Zuko feel any better about the contents of the page. The letter read:

 _Lee._

 _A few minutes after getting your letter we got another one, one from our informant infiltrating the Earth Kingdom spies. He is one of the contacts the spy sends his information to, and he brings it all to us, though we have to pass it on to the Earth Kingdom to ensure he stays under cover._

 _Our informant's letter contained new information the spy had given him, along with the date the spy had given him this data. It was in a face-to-face meeting, and the spy had given him this information personally, we are sure of that._

 _The meeting occurred seven or so hours after Rin's time of death._

 _You must continue looking for the spy. Send a reply to this letter, with everything you have found out already. Remember: if you hurt an innocent, any innocent, be it a bystander or a wrongly accused suspect, you will not get any reward at all, and you will be hunted down and brought to justice as a Fire Nation criminal. Keep that in mind, and the best of luck in your mission._

 _\- the FNS_

It all made no sense. Rin was clearly the spy. He had files about the ASW hidden in a secret compartment in his office, there were whispered rumors about him being a spy, Agni, he even had locks outside of his windows. Maybe there were two of them? Zuko didn't know, but this meant one thing. He would have to kill a person. For real this time.

Not a person, a traitor, he reminded himself. A traitor selling Fire Nation secrets to the Earth Kingdom. A traitor who would see his homeland destroyed. Zuko pushed back the feeling that maybe his homeland deserved it. He was the Prince of the Fire Nation, banished or not, and this man was trying to bring about the defeat of his country and all the people who lived there. He was also a bounty hunter, and that meant he took what job was offered to him.

This was the exact same argument he'd had with himself before he set out to kill Rin, and it was pointless. He'd still feel guilty about killing someone, not in self-defense or in the middle of a fight but as a planned murder. He might as well get on with the job before the month Makoto had given him passed.

A few days passed with nothing really important happening. The last two suspects Zuko had left were Naoki, the helper, and Kyo, the noble. It was, frankly, a little ridiculous to think that Kyo, a person from an aristocratic family, probably raised in the royal court, definitely brought up loyal to his nation, who had a family, servants, a mansion near the palace, any possible material comfort and a good place in the court, could be a spy. Naoki, however, was so boring and unexceptional that if he was the spy (as seemed the only possible option) he was too good at it to let Zuko notice anything in the least suspicious. Naoki was one of those completely average people that have absolutely nothing special about them. He lived in a typical one-story, three-room houses that most middle-class people who worked in the or near the palace had. It was a light shade of red, the most common one in Caldera, and it had the same dark red flowers on the windowsill that you could see in eight out of ten houses. Naoki's job was also fairly average, not bad but not too well paying. He was the helper to a general of some sort, which meant he would do his paperwork (the most boring job of them all, as far as Zuko was concerned), make the less important decisions, schedule meetings and, occasionally, make tea. He had the usual portrait of Firelord Ozai hanging in his room and he would attend most of the concerts in the Firelord's honor, but aside from that, he didn't seem to be given to bouts of patriotism.

Even taking all this into account, Zuko still thought it was more likely that Naoki was the spy than Kyo. Naoki was too clever and his disguise held up to close scrutiny, but everybody made mistakes, and Zuko was sure that if he spent enough time following Naoki's every move he would find some proof of his being the spy. He had taken to hiding in some bushes near Naoki's house every evening, looking at him through the window as he tried to see anything suspicious in Naoki's activities (which were always the same, and consisted of drinking a cup of tea and reading a book, then taking a stroll through the neighborhood before retiring to bed). It was during one such night when it happened. Zuko would later write in his notebook that he had no idea this was it, and that he was incredibly surprised and also slightly disappointed. Then again, maybe it was obvious. The signs were there, he had just been ignoring them.

Zuko was staring at Naoki, fighting the urge to yawn, when Kyo, wearing an informal brown tunic, walked past him on the street. He was alone, no servants or palanquin, which was very unusual for a noble of his class. He was also wearing a hood, which made it slightly more difficult for Zuko to recognize him but overall only had the effect of drawing the other pedestrians' attention to him.

Interested, Zuko decided he could take one night off his watching Naoki (after all, what were the chances of Naoki deciding to do something the one night he wasn't there?) and started following Kyo, blending into the shadows behind him. Kyo himself appeared to do what was his idea of a stealthy walk, pressing close to the buildings and walking quickly across the lit patches of street. He wasn't very good at it, and Zuko itched to give him some pointers. Too bad he was undercover.

After walking for a few more minutes, Kyo ducked into a small unlit alley. Waiting for a few moments to make sure he wasn't noticed Zuko snuck in after him, just in time to see the door of a small building that looked like a café close. Pressing himself close to one of the café's windows, Zuko was able to see that the entrance door led to a small room with another door, a person in blue and white standing guard beside it. Kyo was in the room and talking to the guard. As Zuko watched, he took out a small, circular white object and showed it to the guard. The guard bowed and opened the door, Kyo bowing in return (a member of the higher court to a guard? Unthinkable!) before walking through. The door swung shut, the guard at it looking like he was prepared to stand there for centuries.

The round object… Zuko couldn't be sure, but he remembered seeing one just like it, a long time ago. It had been in his uncle's hand, a white flower engraved on it, and he had shown it to a guard in a room much like this one. Could Kyo be one of them? Did the Order of the White Lotus spread into the middle of the Fire Nation capital itself?

Probably, Zuko thought. Iroh was part of it, after all, and his uncle was always full of surprises. He would have to ask him about it, later, when he was done with this mission. He would need a good excuse, though, as to why he had murdered one of the Lotus members.

Kyo was the spy, he was almost sure of it now. Being part of the Lotus wasn't the same as spying, but it was very close to being treason if it hadn't crossed that line already. Any organization that had members of other nations was probably illegal. There was, however, a slight chance that maybe Kyo wasn't connected to the spy. His attempts at stealth earlier showed that he had never received any training of the sort. Maybe he was just a clueless man who found himself a strange-looking club to play Pai-Sho in, or maybe he was just taking part in the more innocuous activities of the Order. Either way, Zuko had to be sure he was the spy, or- how had Makoto put it again? He better run far and hide well because he would hunt him down? The nerve of the man, talking to him like that- or he would have killed an innocent man.

The whole thing was really murky, and Zuko was regretting ever taking the job. Never mind that it was an assassination, how had Rin had all those files and yet still not been the spy? And what the hell was Kyo doing in this little café that looked so out of place in this part of town?

Zuko waited on the roof of one of the buildings near the café for a few hours, counting the stars to pass the time. After a while, when he was starting to get restless, Kyo walked out, a pleased smile on his face. He seemed to have forgotten about his attempts at a stealth walk, and it made him a lot less noticeable to the other people on the street. This was definitely not a professional. Zuko hadn't known the White Lotus recruited people like that.

Still on the rooftops, Zuko followed Kyo to his mansion, not really expecting anything to happen. He was very surprised, then, to find a man waiting for Kyo in his study, a person who he recognized as Noe, Kyo's close friend who occupied some sort of major position in the army. Noe looked impatient and slightly worried.

"Where were you?" he asked Kyo instead of a greeting. Kyo smiled. "Visiting the friends I'd told you about."

"You shouldn't do that. I told you, it's dangerous."

Zuko sucked in a breath, perched in the shadows on the large ledge outside the study's window. So Kyo knew what sort of organization he was involved with, and had even told his friend. This was going to be interesting.

"You worry too much. It was just for a game of Pai-Sho."

"You tell me there's something of the utmost importance you must tell me, then leave me hanging for a game?"

"Well, a game and a talk. A talk about the thing I wanted to tell you about, actually. I asked them how to convey my meaning better. I got a few answers, but I think I'll just tell you straight out. I trust you enough to not beat about the bush."

Noe stiffened. "Kyo, I have a feeling I know where this is going, and I don't like it. Don't tell me anything, and I won't have to tell anyone else. We still have the chance to back off."

Kyo shook his head. "I can't. This is too important. You probably know what I want to say, but I'll say it anyway, to make it official. Noe. I want to recruit you for the ASW."


	11. Chapter 11

Noe stared at Kyo blankly. "I'm going to go now. I can't do this. I won't tell anyone, but I can make no promises if they question me. I know you're passionate about these things, but I have a family that needs me, and I'm not going to risk everything on this." He turned to leave, opening the door to the study, when Kyo spoke:

"Wait, Noe, at least hear me out. You can still leave after this, and I won't tell you any of the specifics, so you won't be able to give us away even if you try. Please. This is important."

Noe paused, his hand still on the doorknob. "Alright, say whatever it is you want to say and let me leave."

"Have you ever thought that this, all of this," Kyo gestured around the room, "Is wrong?"

"What do you mean, wrong?"

"I volunteered in a charity group once, helping the soldiers. We would come to the field hospitals and give them gifts. It was pretty useless, now that I think about it, and we probably could have helped them more by donating money for bandages or the like, but it was enough to make me see. Those soldiers, out there, are in hell. I've seen the injuries and the sicknesses and the people dying because of the decision of some general up here who has probably never even seen his men. I've seen how in the field, men don't fight for their country. They just fight to survive, nothing glorious about it. And we, up here, have it all. Oh, we're probably more down to earth than the earth kingdom generals; we know how to fight, and we have Agni Kais every once in a while to keep us sharp. But we still have no idea what it's like in the war itself. We live in comfort, while they die in the thousands. And yet we are the ones who make the decisions what happens to them, whether they live or die."

"Is there a point to all this, or-"

"Wait. I was just getting to it. The thing is, as bad as it is for the soldiers, at least you could say they were meant for this. Most were enlisted forcibly, but they were trained, and they think they're doing something for their Nation. The really bad thing, I found, were the innocents whose lives those same soldiers ruined. I saw villages burned to the ground, little children begging for food because their parents had been killed, and that was in the better cases, in the worst, the children were killed as well. And I saw that the soldiers had no idea what they were doing to people, because they didn't even see them as people. They saw them as an intelligent form of cattle, useful sometimes, but ultimately fated to be slaughtered. It was what the country has lead us to believe, that anyone who isn't Fire Nation is below us, isn't even fully human. I saw the Earth Kingdom people, and I saw that they felt and suffered and thought exactly like our people did, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed that.

Our biggest justification, that if we hadn't attacked they would have attacked first? Ha. Those villages I saw weren't just unwilling of fighting back, they were incapable of it. I would sooner believe that the schoolchildren would lead an uprising against us than those men and women. I have read about the Air Nomad culture, the forbidden texts that nobody shows you, and the most important tenet in their teachings was pacifism. They had a philosophy, an entire culture built on non-aggression, they didn't even have an army, and the thing they write in our textbooks is that 'they would have attacked first'.

The other thing they say, that we are sharing our greatness with the world? Yes, we have a great culture, and many inventions. Yes, maybe the other nations would benefit from our way of life. But what we're doing isn't spreading our culture, it's spreading war. A way of life can't be forced on anyone, especially if it's coming from your enemy, but we're not even trying to do that. The conquered villages don't have schools established in them to help the children learn of the Fire Nation's accomplishments. They have labor camps. Until now, the only thing we've maybe managed to teach the other nations is how to make better tanks. And if you think about it, how many things non-related to war have we done during the past hundred years? How many masterpieces have been painted, how many inventions have been made, how much music composed? The war is blocking our progress. This has to stop.

I have a good position in the royal court, as you know, and I have a much closer view of the ruling class. The generals are violent and their favorite tactic is 'send in the new meat to distract them, or suffocate them with our cannon fodder'. The non-bending nobles are disconnected from the reality of war, the bending ones are too lost in fights between themselves and in their concept of honor to see anything. I'm not close enough to the royal family to say anything about them for sure, but I have to say, Princess Azula is scary. I don't think she is able to feel human emotions, but she is an expert at manipulating other people. In a bending battle, she is a wonder to behold, but I am afraid of what will happen to our nation- or, in fact, the world- once Princess Azula becomes our ruler. Of Firelord Ozai I know nothing, except that murky business with Ursa a few years past. There used to be a lot of rumors about the whole thing, but now that so much time has passed people have settled down. The one thing I can say for sure is that if the soldiers knew the people their orders are coming from, they would probably just leave it all and desert, all of them at once. I wish that would happen, sometimes, in my daydreams, but I know it never will.

If we stop the war now, if we offer to negotiate a peace treaty, I know that the other sides will agree to it. We already have an advantage, it's clear who's winning this war. No further blood has to be shed. They'll let us keep the colonies, for sure. And if you think about it, a world where we and only we rule supreme seems rather bleak, no? People afraid to speak their minds so as not to be accused of treason. Labor camps full of children from the other nations. People out there dying of hunger because if there's one thing I know the Firelord won't care to do it's to provide for the people in the newly-conquered land. That's the best option I see. There is another one, which I think might be more likely. Once we've got them all under our control, and they're not even fully people anyway, why not just kill them? All of them? We did it to the airbenders, don't tell me we don't have it in us, because I've seen the men who rule this nation and they would not hesitate to give the order. "

Kyo paused, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "So your solution to this is… treason?" Noe asked quietly, clearly shaken by Kyo's speech. Honestly, Zuko was too. Kyo had taken all the thoughts which had shown up in his mind and which he had crammed away and avoided thinking about, all those little uncomfortable feelings, and said them out loud. Zuko had seen enough to know that what Kyo said was true. He also knew that it was wrong. It had to be.

"Yes, treason. I pass information to the ASW, they share it with the earth Kingdom and also use it to act independently. It's dangerous, and I know full well what's at stake, but after seeing what I saw I couldn't just return home and live as though nothing had happened. I had to make a difference with my life."

Noe was silent. His hand had at some point left the doorknob and was hanging limply at his side.

"Will you think about it?" Kyo asked. Noe nodded slowly. "You make a good argument. I can't promise you anything, but I will think it over. And don't worry: even if I don't join you, I won't give you away."

Kyo smiled. "I know you won't. That's what friends are for."

"I guess it is. I'll see you tomorrow, Kyo."

"See you. Think about my offer."

Noe smiled slightly and left, closing the door after him. Now was Zuko's chance. Kyo, confirmed to be the spy, was alone in his study. He had just tried to recruit Noe to his cause. Kyo's untimely death would surely persuade Noe to leave the ASW alone. Zuko had his twin swords with him. It was perfect.

Why was he hesitating?

Kyo's speech had left an impression, and the man himself reminded him too much of the friendly customers in the Jasmine Dragon, the ones who left big tips and smiled at him. Kyo was a living, breathing person, a good person, by the looks of it. He had just gotten involved with the wrong people, those spies (that is, if they were wrong. Zuko was less and less sure of that) and he thought he was doing everything for the good of the people (he might have been, probably was). But Zuko had a mission, and the man was a spy. Zuko was the Prince of the Fire Nation. He had to stop this man.

The Earth Kingdom villagers he had saved from the Earth Kingdom soldiers came to mind. The little boy named Lee who he had played with. The family who had given him food and a place to stay in return for a roof full of badly banged nails (Zuko wasn't blind, he could see how crooked his nails had turned out).

Then he thought of how they had treated him when he learned who he was. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Did it mean that Kyo was right, that the Fire nation had treated everyone so badly they deserved whatever they got in return? Or were the eartheners just ungrateful bastards who weren't worth the effort of saving?

Suddenly, he thought of the soldiers who Kyo was betraying. The men like the ones who had served on his ship, who would march into somewhere expecting no resistance but would instead find armed forces waiting for them. The men from Kyo's own Nation whose deaths he would be responsible for. The opposing soldiers might fare better as a result of his actions, but this was a war and you had to take sides and you would always, always stick by your own, no matter what. Suddenly, the decision seemed easy to make.

Kyo didn't notice a thing as Zuko soundlessly jumped from the ledge into the room. He didn't even have time to be afraid before the Dao blades met his neck. It was quick, painless and merciful. Kyo hadn't felt a thing.

Zuko debated whether to hide the body or leave it in the open for a moment before deciding to leave it be. It didn't really matter. Someone would find Kyo anyway. He just hoped it wouldn't be the kids. Leaving the study was as easy as entering it had been. Absently, Zuko noticed there was a drop of blood on his hand. He wiped it on his shirt, leaving a small spot. He was very calm, his mind empty of all thoughts.

There weren't a lot of people on the streets, but Zuko still preferred the rooftops, just to be safe. The night was dark and chilly for this time of year. Zuko walked, not slowly but not quickly, over the rooftops, thinking one thing: the mission was done. He didn't feel happiness at the thought, only a sort of content. It was good that he was finished. He didn't want the mission to go dragging on and on. This also meant no more evenings wasted staring at Naoki in his boring room in the boring neighborhood. Zuko was glad for that, more than for finishing the mission.

He got home without incident, going through the usual routine of hiding the mask and black clothes. It was only when he was finished and had slumped on the bed, contemplating whether or not to mention the White Lotus in his letter to Makoto, when it hit him.

He had killed a man. Not while in a fight or in self-defence, but as a result of careful planning. He knew what he was going to do, knew that Kyo wasn't likely a bad man, and had gone through with it anyway.

The thought of it made him sick.

It was for his Nation, he tried telling himself. For some reason, it didn't help.

How did Azula deal with this? She'd probably call him weak for reacting like that. 'Really, Zuzu,' she'd say, 'It was one traitor. Get over it.' Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't distance himself from this like Azula did. He didn't want to become like her. When he had been younger he had tried, obviously. Azula had always gotten their father's approval so easily. Now, though, he could see that there was something wrong with his sister. Better to feel sick after a murder than be as cold as her. Azula was, in some ways, a living contrast to herself. Always aloof, icy cold, but also burning, and eager to burn anyone in her way. Full of rage and madness but also precise and controlled, not a hair out of place.

Feel sick after a murder. It was murder, wasn't it?

Zuko shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. He got up and went to the table, just to have something to occupy with. The brush felt strange in his hand after the swords, but he picked it up anyway, unrolled a plain piece of paper and started writing.

 _To Makoto,_

 _I have successfully identified and disposed of the spy._

Disposed of. Like that was an even somewhat accurate description of what he had done.

 _I am sure that I am not mistaken: the spy, Kyo, confessed to a friend of his a few minutes before I ended him._

Ended. Ended him. Ended a human life. No more talks with his children for Kyo, no more kisses from his wife. Not that Kyo would ever know. The strange thing was that a person's death happened to everyone else.

 _Kyo was attempting to enlist the friend. I believe after he sees what happened to Kyo, the man will leave his fantasies of a rebellion and live a quiet life of use to our Nation. It is unnecessary to hunt him down._

At least he might prevent the death of another man.

 _Send the money with your reply letter._

 _-Lee_

It was short and to the point, and to be frank, Zuko wanted to be done with Makoto once and for all. He would avoid assassination missions in the future.

Sending the message was a matter of minutes and soon, Zuko found himself sitting on the bed once more, at a loss at what to do. The pub was not an option. The bartender had been friendly, but he was not in the mood for celebration. He couldn't buy himself an Earth passport without the reward money. There was almost nothing in the apartment left to pack, but Zuko packed it anyway, folding the Fire Nation clothes in a neat pile. He'd leave them in some poor neighborhood near the docks when he left.

Guilt began to worm its way into his mind again. He pushed it out. With nothing to occupy him, it went back in.

He decided to start making plans as to what to do when he was back in the Earth Kingdom. He would visit his uncle, for sure. Iroh did always like his visits, and some time had passed since his last one. Maybe he could ask his uncle what to do with the rest of his life. Zuko felt cornered, nothing to do. His life was aimless. At least when he was pursuing the Avatar there had been something to do, something to occupy his one-track mind. Now, he was free to do what he wanted, and that freedom translated to the worst of prisons. With no obsession and nothing to work towards, Zuko was lost. Maybe Iroh could tell him what to do about that, explain how to return purpose and meaning to his life.

Zuko spent some more time planning the route with which he could get to Ba-Sing-Se. It wasn't the shortest one, but it went out of its way to avoid the Fire Nation colonies. This was no easy task, as the colonies were constantly expanding and changing shape, and the map had to be re-memorized every few months or so.

The route also passed a few small cities where Zuko's (Lee's) friends lived. He could pay them a visit, too. Ask about life, have a drink or two. There weren't too many conversation topics Zuko had in common with the guys, so he rarely stayed for longer than a day or too, but some drinks made any conversation more interesting. Too bad most of his friends kept trying to set him up with girls. Come to think of it, that was also usually Uncle's advice. Maybe he should try it a few times.

Zuko managed to stretch the time out until nine pm, whereupon he decided that sleep was his best alternative. Sleep didn't come to him easily, and when it had, it was fitful and uneven.

The whole night he dreamt of Kyo.


	12. Chapter 12

_Dear nephew,_

 _I cannot tell you whether what you did to that poor man was right or wrong. That is your decision to make, but remember what reasons led you to commit the act. I know your heart was in the right place, but I am not so sure about your head. Next time, think before you do._

 _From experience, I can tell you that this may continue to haunt you for many more nights. Think on what your dreams are trying to tell you. You wrote that the man made a speech before his demise, and that it moved you greatly. Think about that speech. Think on why it moved you and what motivated you to make the choices you have until now._

 _Most importantly, ask yourself this: who are_ you _? What do_ you _want? Why do you make the choices you do?_

 _And now for my own opinion. Having seen the war up close with my own eyes, I can say it is every bit as bad as the man described. I believe that stopping the war should be everyone's goal, never mind what nation. Unfortunately, should your sister ever come to power, I'm afraid the war will rage on and on unimpeded, until by the time her heir rules there may be nothing left to burn._

 _Is it treason to say so? I think not. I wish to stop the war for our own people's sake. You should be the one to make up your own mind, of course, but think on what I have said._

 _I am awaiting your visit with great anticipation. It has been too long since you last came, and I really think you could stand to write me more often._

 _With love,_

 _Your uncle Iroh._

Zuko re-read the letter for the third time. It was Iroh's reply to the letter he had sent a few days earlier, and Zuko still wasn't sure what to make of it. He seemed to be sympathizing with the traitor, which made Zuko uneasy, but he hadn't actually stated that he thought Zuko was wrong in his choice to kill the man.

He had tried to follow the letter's advice and see what it was that he really wanted. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. Maybe he had spent too much time with others telling him what he ought to want or do to be able to decide for himself.

This echoed the other troubles he had been having, the feeling of aimlessness. Maybe if someone came and told him what he had to do (even if it was something as impossible as hunt down the Avatar) it would be easier. Iroh could help him there, but Zuko wasn't exactly eager to commit himself to a life of serving tea, so he avoided asking his uncle for any practical advice. Iroh's spiritual advice was vague and unsatisfying, but it was better than the answers he received otherwise (aside from serving tea, the topic of settling down with a nice girl arose quite frequently).

What would Azula do, if she were in his position? Zuko didn't even know why he decided to ask himself that. It wasn't very useful, but he was bored, and sad as it was, Azula was the only other person who he was (had been) fairly close to.

She would try to return to her rightful place, obviously. He had tried and failed. Maybe something else. Take over a nice Earth Kingdom village and rule it with an iron fist? It was possible and probably not even that difficult, but fairly boring, even if you ignored the moral issues.

What would a normal person do? This was a much harder question to answer. Zuko hadn't been around enough normal people to say for sure. He could take up needlework, maybe? Start a farm? Become a servant? What was it that normal people did, anyway?

The idea of being a servant entertained him for a few moments before he waved it away. Zuko would quite possibly be the worst servant in the history of servants. He really didn't envy the poor guy who would hire him. Maybe a bodyguard was more his style, though it was still boring. Every time he thought about it, his career options boiled down to being a bounty hunter or something much like it. It wasn't very fulfilling, but it was better than the other options.

A jolt from his ostrich-horse woke him up from his daydreams. Zuko was on the road to Ba-Sing-Se, now renamed New Ozai, riding the ostrich-horse that he had actually bought with his reward money. The trip back to the Earth Kingdom from his homeland had been boring, and the ship that had taken him back, the Karaang, was very slow, giving him plenty of time to reflect on his actions. Unfortunately, the more he thought about what he had done, the guiltier he felt, until he finally decided to stop thinking about it altogether and shoved it into the deepest corner of his mind. He still dreamt about it sometimes, but the nightmares were rarer, and he could almost forget about Kyo and his speech.

The ostrich-horse jolted him again, making him focus his attention on the road. It was bumpy and uneven, looking like some sort of fight had taken place. Most places were affected by the war, nowadays. You saw burn marks everywhere, the land just as scarred as Zuko himself.

A small cloud of dust in the distance made him look up. It looked like a group of riders, sunlight shining off of their metal armor through the dust. Zuko directed his steed down from the road and into a set of bushes nearby. It was best not to attract any attention, and any large group of travelers, whether Earth or Fire, could mean danger. It made his blood boil, hiding from simple thugs like that, but he didn't want to pick fights with every person he passed.

The cloud approached, and soon Zuko could make out single shapes. They looked to be riding komodo rhinos, and by the color of their armor, Zuko could tell they were definitely Fire Nation. Even worse, when they got closer Zuko could see why they were travelling so slowly: behind the last rhino were a group of people in rags, tied together by a few ropes, shuffling along. When one of the riders got impatient with their speed he'd shout something at the last rider, who'd make a fire whip with his free hand and slash at the prisoners.

It made Zuko sick. There were children in the group, some not older than ten, but the riders didn't care. Zuko would have intervened, but he doubted he could do anything against that many, and he still remembered the last time he had spoken out on someone's behalf. His best chance was to try and wait this out.

The riders passed his bushes without stopping and Zuko was already letting out a relieved breath when his ostrich-horse, scared by the smell of the rhinos, shifted from foot to foot. It was a small motion, but it was enough to jangle the metal flask against the metallic rim of the saddle, clanging quietly.

Zuko held his breath. It was a quiet sound, maybe they hadn't caught it amidst the groans of the prisoners and the stomping of the rhinos.

"Wait. You hear that?" One of the riders said suddenly, raising a hand to stop the rest of the group. Damn. No such luck.

"Hear what?"

"There, in those bushes. Come on, let's check it out."

Zuko couldn't see what was happening, but the noises told the story well enough. The rider was dismounting and walking towards the bush, his spurs clanking loudly on the ground. Now he was cutting- no, correction, burning- a swath in the bushes. Now his head appeared right in front of Zuko's wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

"Got another one," he announced to his friends, dragging Zuko out of the bushes towards the group.

The riders laughed. "You've got yourself a damaged one," one of them announced, "Just lookit his face. It's so burned I bet he'll scare away all the customers."

Zuko looked away, his face flushed.

"So his face is enough to give little kids nightmares. Big deal. He looks healthy to me, and I bet he'll fetch a good price as a worker or somethin'."

So that was who these people were. Slave traders. He had heard of the practice, but had never thought Fire Nation soldiers would actually disgrace their homeland like that.

He could take them out, he was fairly sure of that. They didn't look like elite soldiers. Probably most of them weren't even firebenders. There was only one problem.

A firebending match had the tendency to burn everything around the combatants. There was no way the people in rags would escape unharmed. Even worse, Zuko could see that one of the soldiers was still holding the fire whip dangerously close to one of the prisoner's necks. He noticed Zuko staring at the whip and grinned.

"Try to run and this one gets it. Mind you, we'll burn you as well, but some of you react better to threats on others."

Rage flowed through Zuko's veins, but he forced himself to stand quietly in place, the laughter of the soldiers around him. He couldn't sacrifice the lives of these soon-to-be slaves. The soldier seemed to sense his decision, because he roughly pushed Zuko over to the prisoners.

"Hai-Zo," he ordered, "Tie him up with the rest. See that he gets a place up front."

The place up front, the one where one was most exposed to the dust the komodo rhinos kicked up. Great.

His position was better than that of the other prisoners. He would be able to escape once he had been sold, so long as he kept his firebending a secret. That didn't mean he was happy about the whole situation.

The soldiers climbed back on the rhinos and resumed their ride, slowly dragging the prisoners behind them. At first it wasn't too bad, but twenty minutes in, the heat and the smell were starting to get to him. The rhinos stank, the prisoners stank, and by now he was almost sure he stank. The ropes chafed against his wrists and the dust got into his eyes and mouth. The worst part, probably, was hearing the groans of the people behind him, the ones with untended burns or the children who had been forced to walk like this all day. Every once in a while, when the soldiers got tired of the moaning, they'd turn around and slash a fire whip through the middle of the group, not caring who it hit. That would silence the people for a while, and the only sound heard was the quiet whimpering of the one who had been hit this time, trying to stay silent. Then, when some time had passed, the moans would resume, and it would start over.

Zuko himself grit his teeth and stayed silent, even after hours of trudging on the dusty road. The Earth Kingdom was all full of dust. Not the fertile earth many of the Fire Nation islands boasted and not even any sort of rocky ground. Just dust and sand, all over the giant expanse that was the midland. He supposed it got better the closer you got to the sea, but the middle of the Earth Kingdom was a desert, and they were getting uncomfortably close to it.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the soldiers came to a stop. The prisoners were told to sit on the ground while the soldiers unpacked their belongings and unsaddled the rhinos. Then they had to wait until the soldiers started a fire and ate their fill. Only then, after the rhinos had been fed and waters, did the attention of the soldiers turn to the prisoners.

They were thrown a few flasks of water, not nearly enough for everyone, and a few scraps of bread. Zuko himself could go for a while without food, but he could see that some of the children were hungry enough to start chewing on the discarded saddles when they thought no one was looking, so he decided to try and do something about it, though he had no idea what. He was still trying to think of the best way to go about this when one of the prisoners, a middle aged man with an untrimmed beard, spoke up.

"Hey!" he shouted, trying to get the soldiers' attention.

"Look at that. Raggedy-Beard here wants to tell us something. What is it, you bag of dirt?" a soldier hollered back at him and the whole group exploded in laughter, as if what the man had said was even somewhat funny. Zuko tried to hold back his anger, knowing the results if he didn't. Luckily for him, the bearded man spoke up:

"How're you planning to sell us, exactly? No one will want to buy us if we're in this state. You want your slaves to look healthy, not like they're about to collapse!"

"Oh, and you happen to know so much about the subject," a soldier jeered.

"More than you, apparently. Those kids won't last another day like this. Give them water, at least. I'm telling you, the price on a slave goes up twice if he looks like he's in good shape."

The soldiers looked away from him to talk between themselves. After a few moments they turned back, and a soldier grudgingly approached them with a few more loaves of bread and flasks of water.

"You can thank Beardy over there," he muttered angrily, and turned away, brushing his clothes off as if even being in the vicinity of the prisoners could sully him.

It made Zuko sick.


	13. Chapter 13

The slave market was held somewhere in a small port town- just as Zuko had thought they would march straight into the midland desert, the soldiers had showed some common sense and veered off to this place. The only improvement was that it was less dusty. The drunken rowdy sailors didn't help the situation at all.

One of them was just passing by the small group of tied up slaves. He leered at one of the captured girls, his breath hot in their faces, and Zuko had to turn away from the smell.

"Aw, leave 'er alone," his friend slurred. "You can do better than a dirty little bitch."

The sailor turned away, looking proud of himself. "That's right I can. Wan me ta prove it?"

The two men laughed before stumbling off into the night. Zuko let out a deep sigh.

They were currently tied up in a big bundle near a metal ship, probably the one that belonged to the soldiers. The soldiers themselves were gone, off drinking, and it would have been the perfect opportunity for him to free them if it weren't for one issue. They were tied up with perfectly solid metal chains. Apparently, the soldiers hadn't felt like betting all their prisoners on the chance that neither one was a firebender.

Even if he could have freed them, Zuko thought sourly, they'd probably just get captured all over again. And if they didn't, where would they go? With no supplies and no money, slavery almost seemed like the better option.

It was this thinking ahead that his uncle had always tried to get him to do. It made him feel dirty and helpless at the same time. It was easier to just charge in and let someone else deal with the consequences.

On the way there, Zuko had had a lot of time to think. These slavetraders were the glorious soldiers of his Nation? How many more were there like them?

And even the normal soldiers, if one got down to it. How much better were they? They still destroyed people's lives, even if it was by orders and not to get some quick gold.

Something was changing in Zuko. If this was the Fire Nation in all its true glory, he didn't want to be part of it. Or maybe he did. Maybe he was the right person to change all this, and finally restore the honor to his homeland. It all snapped into place so easily. He didn't even have to face his father or his sister to announce his decision. They had given up on him long ago. Although maybe there was still a way to earn his father's pride…

He pushed it back, like so many things lately. Not now, when he could see one of the soldiers approaching.

The man tugged roughly on the chain. "Get up, you owl-dogs. The market's starting."

They all followed, still in the great lump, and Zuko could see the panic on people's faces. This, for most of them, would be when their fate was decided.

They walked through a few empty streets to a marketplace where a crowd seemed to have gathered. There was a hastily-made wooden podium in the center, and a row of people were standing, single-file, waiting for their turn to climb up. The one currently on the makeshift stage was clearly Water Tribe, a young, slender woman with her hands tied behind her back. A spokesperson was shouting into a tinfoil funnel: "So pretty, ain't she? Right from the North, this one! She'd make a fine maidservant… and I daresay she's not bad in bed, either!" The crowd roared with laughter. The man continued screaming: "So, do I hear thirty pieces there? Come on, you can do better! Thirty five? Forty! We've got forty! Anyone care to best that? Forty one.. Forty two… Fifty! Fifty one… Fifty two… Fifty three, and sold! Sold to the gentleman in the red tunic up front! There you go, enjoy your purchase! Next, please!"

The soldier started undoing the chains, muttering under his breath. Zuko guessed he'd start tying them one by one, to make sure they could stand single file. He didn't plan to stay around for that long.

As soon as it was Zuko's turn to have his chains undone, he breathed in a lungful of air, felt his chi heat it and blew a stream of cool, red fire straight into the soldier's face. The man howled with pain, and Zuko soon added to that, kicking off the man's face to get an extra head start.

"What are you standing there for? Run!" he yelled at the captives. The other soldiers were already approaching, and Zuko didn't have the time to stick around if he didn't want to burn this whole village to the ground. Without looking, he grabbed the hand of the prisoner next to him and began running, occasionally shooting fireblasts behind him to make sure they weren't being followed. It took a few weaves in and out of dark alleys, the prisoner lagging slightly behind, for Zuko to be sure they'd lost pursuit. The soldiers probably had more important business to attend to.

Slowing down to a walk and attempting to get his breath back, Zuko took his first look at the almost-slave next to him. He was a young-looking man, panting heavily, and he was still latched on to Zuko's arm.

Zuko unpried his hand slowly. The man gulped down breaths of air. "Thank you," he said when he had calmed down.

"Don't thank me now. I'd say your best bet is waiting until the market is over, then getting hired onto one of the ships as a cleaner or something. The captains will employ slaves, but they probably won't capture you."

The man nodded. "Best of luck to you, stranger."

Best of luck to me indeed, Zuko thought. The task ahead wasn't easy. First, he'd need to get supplies to cross the desert, and a lead or some contacts would be nice.

 _Dear Makoto,_

 _There appears to have been a misunderstanding. Rin, the man you seem to have attempted to assassinate, was in fact a member of the FNSI, ranking slightly above you. He was, at the moment of his demise, on a secret mission to weed out the Earth Kingdom spy. It was, unfortunately, above your clearance level. Next time we will avoid such mixups. Of course, the matter is now moot, as Rin's death and your bounty hunter's completion of the mission put an end to the whole thing. Next time, before hiring outside sources, please clear the matter with your direct superiors._

 _Best,_

 _Nato_

Makoto positively brimmed with anger. So they told him now? After giving him the mission with no information on anyone else working on it?

Lee finished the right man, at least. The letters with information on the Fire Nation's defenses and strategy stopped arriving to their informant in the ASW. He could only hope that there were no more letters being sent.

The Fire Nation being all about discipline and power, hah. If anything were to give the Alliance to Save the World or whatever ridiculous name they had given themselves a chance, it would be the Fire Nation's mess in its own security system.

It would have to be fixed.

Sighing, Makoto pinched his forehead and got out the writing materials for a return letter to Nato.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Well, here's the last chapter. A huge thanks to everyone who's stuck around until now, as well as anyone who faved, followed or (especially) reviewed. Hope you enjoyed.

* * *

 _Dear Uncle,_

 _Thoughts on what you have said, as well as something that happened to me on the way to Ba Sing Se, have made up my mind. I can't continue like this._

 _I'm writing to tell you that I'm currently with the ASW, and they say they can get me to the avatar. I've heard that he needs a firebending teacher, and even if there's no strict deadline, the walls of the earth Kingdom's remaining cities are crumbling as we speak. I hope that he can accept me after all that I've done, at least as a teacher if not as a friend._

 _I am sorry, Uncle, but it looks like our meeting will have to wait for a while. I'm sure you understand._

 _Please, write back with all the details about your life back in the conquered city. The journey is going to be long and boring, and knowing that you are well would make me feel better._

 _I don't know what to do about my sister. My father is clearly unchangeable, but I don't want to fight her, even if I thought I could defeat her (which I do not. My pride has its limits). Azula and I may have a troubled past, but we have shared many good times together, and she is, in many ways, the person closest to me, aside from you, of course. (Which is kind of sad, if you think about it, but still)._

 _I suspect it will become clear later._

 _Wow. That almost sounded like the type of advice you might give. You're rubbng off on me._

 _Either way, I wish you the best of luck,_

 _Your nephew,_

 _Zuko_


End file.
